


In Leaves No Step Had Trodden

by Jemsquash



Series: The Remaking of Things [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, and this is where the story really starts, finally Obito tells everybody where to stick it, general canon level gore and violence, self indulgent worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2020-12-17 13:11:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21054965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemsquash/pseuds/Jemsquash
Summary: Obito and Kakashi elope the night Kakashi turns eighteen. By Konoha law, the Uchiha clan has three days to hunt them down and get their beloved kin/breeding stock/clan scapegoat back. It should be a straightforward process. But every power and political player in Konoha has their own scheme going on and Obito and Kakashi have just messed up most of them.Hiruzen just wants one quiet year to finish rebuilding Konoha. But his old teammates, his students, his student's students, the Uzushio triads, the civilian guilds and ALL the major shinobi clans won't let him have it. It's almost like... ignoring all of Minato's kids was a bad idea?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally. Here we are. No one panic. I have everything perfectly under control. Like Hiruzen himself...
> 
>   
Betaed by the ever wonderful Yulialeafhill  
Inoko's letter was written by the wonderful ModernArt2012
> 
> The story so far: Uchiha disguise their girls as boys during war time for their own safety and also cause other clans are weird about girls kicking vast amounts of ass. Obito was one such girl. Dug up by Iwa and sent to a prison of war camp, instead of being brainwashed by Madara, one-legged Obito escaped just months after Kyubi attack on Konoha.  
The Uchiha welcome her back with open arms for varying reasons ranging from ACTUAL LOVE to YOU CAN HAVE RED EYED BABIES NOW. Attempts to keep Obito safe and contained in the Uchiha compound fail and she begins to rebuild her life, learn seals from Jirayia, make friends and start a relationship with Kakashi.  
After the death of her last devoted grandparent and ally within the clan, Obito realises she can not live with her family any longer and Kakashi proposes.  
Oblivious to the major situation the loving couple are about to give all of Konoha, everyone else from the Hokage and his teammates to farmers and housewives plot their own schemes.  
Now read on.

(Letters sent and received over the seven months between Obito and Kakashi’s eighteenth birthdays)

(A small letter written in neat but childish characters, on very expensive blocked paper. Folded badly as if done in haste. Delivered via local post service of Tea Country.)

_ Dear Sister, _

_ I am very happy you arrived in Cha no Kuni safely. Thank you for the shells you sent me. I put them on my window sill. They shine in the sunlight. _

_ I have my own room. I live with the Senju clan, where the Mokuton came from. They want me to be their son. I told them you are my family but they do not care. Lady Senju wants me to call her Mother. What was our real mother like? She says it was a crime for me to be in ANBU but she is not cross with me. She is cross with the Hokage. _

_My old teammate Panda is sending this for me because I do not want Lady Senju to know about you. Obito, Kakashi-senpai’s special friend, told me they would adopt you too but I know you would not like it. You want to be free. Not be with me and have writing lessons and uncomfortable clothing and new names. _

_ Love Tenzo _

_ PS: Lady Senju wants to call me Tenma _

*

(Giant scroll covered in gold lettering and ribbons, hand-delivered by the Kazekage’s brother-in-law to the mountain pass leading to Kumo)

_ Greetings to Lord A of Kumogakure, Raid Lord and Fourth of his name._

_From Rasa of the Gold Dust, Fourth Kazekage and Conqueror of the Dunes_

_ Allow me to abandon all guile or subtly. I did not order the assination of your predecessor. There is nothing that my village gains from such an act. Your spies must tell you the truth, my village tethers on the brink of war with Iwa and feuding with you divides our forces. _

_ The poison used was of Suna origin, the concoction one of our most prominent shinobi families. However it was used liberally during the 3rd war and it is not impossible that another individual or village has recreated it just to sew conflict between us. Add to that that a child of that family went missing amide a night of terror and murder, though long assumed to be dead, but potentially now is a tool of some unknown force. _

_ While I would enjoy casting the blame at Konoha’s feet, the current hostilities between my village and Iwa originated from a plot to blame Konoha for Onoki’s actions against us. It is possible the Hyuuga corpse was a fake. Reports tell me the Hyuuga Head is alive and well, so some other body was used to carry the poison into your village. _

_ I realise my words will have a limited effect on your decisions, for words are meaningless without action. I offer you the custom of your village and will offer my eldest child in a hostage exchange and a sign of good will between our villages. Temari is talented beyond her years and has a temperament more suited to mountains than sand- _

*

  
_ Dear Sumiya,_

_ Sorry I disappeared on you after you were so kind to a relative stranger. I washed your shirt and put money for getting a new sofa in the pocket. Please don’t refuse it, it’s nothing much. _

_I rushed off because I had a job interview at the hospital and managed to somehow get hired despite my hangover. It’s in the civilian ward as a general physician, which I’m told is an insult to my training and teacher and that I should demand better. _

_But I think working with non-ninja for a while will be nice. Especially if they’re all like you. _

_ From, _

_ Shizune _

*

(From the First Convention of Konoha, scroll 32 of the hundreds Mito Uzumaki wrote to clarify Hashirama’s earlier and more loosely drafted laws and promises.)

_ ...the marriage officer shall provide all necessary items and provisions for both parties to be checked for Jutsu and questioned for coercion separately before the ceremony. (see subsection 4a, permitted Temple chakra techniques) _

_In every case of a marriage intended to be solemnized under this Act, one of the parties intending marriage shall sign a public notice, stating the name, surname, profession, condition, and residence of each of the parties, and that both parties are of consenting age. _

_The notice must be displayed by the marriage officer within whose Temple or Office the marriage ceremony took place, and no less than three days must pass before the marriage is officially sanctioned by the seal of the Hokage and is beyond annulment. _

_ Both parties must return to the marriage officer for their final blessing and paperwork to formally complete the marriage on the third sunset... _

*

(Slightly smelly scroll, regurgitated by a toad onto Kyoko’s work desk.) 

_ You lot can relax, I’m not going to do anything to stop you from rewriting the rest of my books. I won’t even say anything of the money you are making off my characters. _

_ Just tell Obito I want things to be square between us again. I’ll spend every evening I’m in the village at the usual spot, hoping she’ll join me again for training. _

*

(Card with formal flower arrangement)

> **To Obito Uchiha **
> 
> **With deepest sympathy, **
> 
> **From the Hyuuga Clan**

Someone had roughly added ‘branch’ above the calligraphy of Hyuuga. That same handwriting was on the inside of the card, the familiar scribble of Mariko Hyuuga, the medic responsible for Obito’s physical therapy.

_ I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s just not fair. Take care of yourself. My family are allowing me to carry weapons again so some of my sorrow has past, as yours will too. I considered returning to active duty to get out of the compound but my patients need me. _ _ You _ _ need me. An agreement has been reached and Neji will be staying with me but joining the Academy in the next new term _ . _ It’s early for a clan born student but I think this is safer for him. _

_ The hole in our hearts will not close, but we will learn to beat them again regardless. _

_ * _

(A pigeon delivered message, tiny writing on rice paper, requiring a coloured magnifying glass and code book in order to read)

_ Homura,_

_ Your notes on the clan heads and the Guild Hall meetings were much appreciated. As ever you remain the only useful member of the council. I agree with your assessment of the situation and will back you if you wish to start proceedings against the Skinner Guild. _

_ Kindly tell both Danzo and Hiruzen I am doing the job they decided to give me and to stay out of my business. I know you will word it much more politely than that but do make sure my intent comes across all the same. _

_ My suspicions were correct, the Fire Daimyo is getting harder to control. He’s the same feckless fool he ever was, more interested in art and young artists than any of his duties. But he has ceased to take his wife’s council. Shijimi has lost the will to coral him towards the right decisions, more interested in her cats than politics. If I ever find out her miscarriages were induced by outside forces I expect you to think of an excuse for me to bring about justice on her behalf. _

_Undoing the bad habits Danzo taught my latest protegee is hard going, but I am hopeful there will be a change yet. She is still mute on many subjects but is starting to resemble a real person._

_I will return on the date previously agreed on, please ask my wife to air both guest bedrooms. _

_Have found those disgusting black sweets you requested. _

_ Koharu _

_ * _

(An embroidered head scarf of red and white, mailed to Suna via civilian traders. Within one embroidered corner is a storage seal set to activated only for one person’s blood. In the storage seal is a letter and Iwa cosmetics)

_ Dear Aimi, _

_ I got your last three letters. And the blood sample. Sorry I haven’t written before now, I’ve been very busy. I hope the cosmetics are the right ones for your skin tone. I don’t buy my own normally and I couldn’t risk asking anyone else. Mai keeps a stockpile since the last war, however, and she was happy to give up some of the expired items in exchange for me making her favorite outfits suitable maternity wear. _

_ My grandfather died. And as hard as it is to even write that sentence it’s been two months since we released his ashes to the land. I’ve packed his life into boxes and given away most of his things. I only took a few items with me to Uncle Yashino’s house and I’ve still got them in storage seals somewhere. I don’t want to look at them. _

_ I think I’m getting better. Everyone is very cautious in talking to me and it’s now becoming irritating. I’ve felt stuck and trapped for so long and now that I’ve made a decision about my future I’m impatient to get on with it and _ go _ . _

_ I’m training with Jiraiya-sensei again, after a long conversation about the past and our choices. It was awkward but it is so good to have a real teacher once more. All the little mistakes in my sealing and taijutsu that one day would have become major drawbacks are being weeded out of my techniques. Sometimes I needle Jiraiya about his awful habits and he actually listens. I might one day get him to have a civilised conversation with a woman he finds attractive. _

_ The news of Suna’s alliance with Kumo has caused major concern with my clan and the Hyuuga. But I am optimistic. Your village has bloodline limits too, maybe you can teach Kumo how civilised ninja behave. And I think you should definitely volunteer to have a puppeting apprentice. You were so patient and kind with me, even on our worst days, that teaching a little kids should be a breeze- _

*

(In a normal civilian envelope, a censored return address signalling it had spent some time on the tower before finally being delivered)

_ Father, _

_ You have a grandson. He was born in the shallows of the River REDACTED, whose flow ends in Uzushio. I named him after you. REDACTED is ecstatic. _

_ I am not sorry. But I miss you. _

_ REDACTEDREDACTEREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTEDREDACTED. _

_ Gyo _

*

(delivered via civilian mail on cheap and cheerful stationary.)

_ My dear Teammate Watri, _

_ How good it is to hear of Crane’s success with her flight from Snow to the Fire Capital! I am so proud of both of you! All of your work is paying off and being acknowledged by the village. Truly we are all in the springtime of our youth. _

_ My missions are becoming even longer but the pay is good and with Aio now permanently working at the mission desk he can always make sure I get a suitable break between them to keep up my training. I am currently beating Kakashi 9 to 12 on our challenges! _

_ I regret to say that Meimei and I have mutually decided to end our romance. We never seemed to find the time for more than quick meetings with our conflicting schedules, even when I offered to craft her a training regiment so we could train together. I miss her but I will recover in time. _

_ Wonderfully I have meet a fellow Tortoise enthusiast! Abe works in the Information and Research section of the Tower and keeps speckled tortoises in his backyard. They are very adorable. Abe is very organised and a great help as I start to plan Kakashi’s 18 birthday party. Surely this year he will show up. _

_ Your Youthful Teammate, _

_ Gai _

*

(Home-made and roughly cut paper, with a crossed out seed list on the back, hand delivered to an anonymous mailbox by the civilian mail centre for Konoha.)

_ Hatake, _

_ I will make you a fair offer on five of the plots of land you put up for sale. Though they are small and spread out across the village, three of them are near enough my own land to be worth using and the other two I will purchase for my grandson. I’ll have the house attached to the river field too. I’ll use it to try and teach the boy some useful skills like roof repair and woodwork. Let me know if my daughters should clear the house for you and send on what you’d like to keep of your father’s furniture and possessions. _

_ I will not be buying the outermost plots you have on offer. Land up against the Wall is never good enough for farming. The wards affect the soil in some way and make the animals very high strung. A pity, the farmhouse looks to be in excellent condition, if very far off from any other buildings. _

_ Itsuo Soya _

*

(Letter written on deceptively simple paper, carrying a subtle scent of clover and lilies and written in a brisk handwriting.)

_ Dearest Torifu, _

_ I hope this letter finds you well. Your grandson Washoku, mentioned you have a cough that just won’t get better, and it’s often the little things like that that fell shinobi and civilian alike. Do take care of yourself, won’t you? It’d be terrible to see such an old friend fall. Personally, I like to keep my own muscles limber training with the younger ones. Keeps things sharp, even after all this time. _

_ It was so kind of you to send Miori over to do the weeding, as well. I know it was just being friendly and maintaining alliances, but it brought back so many memories to watch Miori weed the east orchard. The first non-Yamanaka to weed that specific orchard was little Obito Uchiha, and she did it so quickly and so thoroughly one would have scarcely thought an Uchiha had done it. That sort of work ethic shows young, I’ve found, and after so many years in the Diplomatic corps you learn to tell when someone is going to go far and I certainly felt it then. Now look at young Obito! Practically a Seal Master, and as talented as the Nidaime. Shame she got injured in the war though, I thought she’d have been Tokubetsu Jounin by now otherwise. _

S_he’s been stopping by to help with my current project, the rare herbs greenhouse. You know the one, with the plants your Clan wants to experiment with? Shame about the embargo on trade with Kumo, but what can one do. I’m not even sure how your agent got these seedlings out, but Obito has been taking such good care of them. They’ve been flourishing, so I’ll be sending over a batch soon. _

_ I’m glad, however, that someone is picking up on the efforts to help Konoha train superior shinobi, even if previous efforts were rather misguided at best. One must wonder why no one said anything about all those missing children, then, but Orochimaru did have such powerful connections. _

_ Do tell me how your soldier pill experiments turn out. It’s always a pleasure to help out one’s allies, especially when they remember to reciprocate and not meddle in affairs not their own. _

_ Best, _

_ Inoko _

*

  
_ CHUNIN EXAM ENTRY PAPER _

_ NAME: Itachi Uchiha _

_ AGE: 9 _

_ PART OF TEAM: 16 _

*

(Scrap of a letter never sent, lying on the floor of the Konoha bunker closest to Suna.)

_ -during the next sandstorm, and I will return for another assignment. Bodies are lost to the storms often and no one will question another orphan girl vanishing away. _

_ As always I will pass through the orphanage on my way back to the village and hope you are home this time. _

_ From your loving son- _

*

(written roughly on a police station notebook page and pushed under the door of Yashino Uchiha’s door)

_ Obito, _

_ The prison could use a Fuinjutsu user on its staff. If you come work for me I’ll get Ranma and Mikoto off your back. _  
_ Make a smart decision for once. _

_ Sakuya. _

(Written on the other side of the page in large bold writing)

_ Sakuya, _

_ Go fuck yourself. _

_ Obito _

*

  
_ CERTIFICATE OF DEATH: no. 3468434 _

_ REGISTRATION CENTRE: Tower Waiting Cells _

_ MEDIC OVERSEER: Green Owl of Squad 14 _

_ NAME OF DECEASED: Shiokaze Soma _

_ TIME OF DEATH: 03:25 _  
  
_ AGE OF DECEASED: 26_

_ LAST SEEN ALIVE: 00:00 by prison guard shift change _

_ CAUSE OF DEATH: Strangulation, via fishing gut hung to the sink pipe. Official verdict: Suicide. _

_ AUTOPSY REQUIRED: YES / _ ** _NO_ **

_ ADDITIONAL NOTES: Is anyone claiming responsibility for this unofficially? I thought Root wanted him alive as much as we did. How’d he sneak in fishing gut on his person? He’s just a crazy teacher from those refugee fishermen that tried to jump the wall. _

*

(Typed up on thin paper, written as dictated to scribe. Postage owed for delivery.)

_ Shizune, _

_ My bank accounts have all been closed and the Senju ones have new passwords. Did you get those old biddies to do that? I didn’t think you or they were that petty. _

_ Think of poor Tonton, who still tries to find you in every new town. She has to eat too. _

_ Just- just fix everything like you usually do Shizune. Please. I miss you-NO! don’t write that down you stupid-wwwwwwwwwwww _

*

  
_ Child, _

_ Don’t be ridiculous, you can not sew your own kimono from scratch. You could be the most talented seamstress in the world and I would still refuse. Kimono-making is an art form and takes years of training and practise. _

_ You will come to me for tea and together we will discuss your ideas and sketch out a few possibilities, then you can go to the Higishi’s workshop with clear directions for them to follow. They’ve been enquiring about your seal skills and it would be easy for you to exchange work with them without need for money. You don’t have to do everything yourself, focus on what only you can do and use it to go forward. _

_From, _

_ Kukabu _

*

(Official file on Konoha Orphanage number 7, the only handwritten report within it.)

_ “It’s not fair to the other children that he gets special treatment. They’re not stupid, they know something is different about how Naruto is treated. Your guards might be the best alive but it’s impossible for a group of adults to stalk a child surrounded by other children without some of them noticing something out of the ordinary. Some of these children are chakra sensitive, a fact some of the so-called ANBU forget. _

_ Furthermore, this situation is not fair on Naruto, now that he’s older. I’ve been forced to think up excuses to punish him twice this month to keep him inside and not out on outings you’ve deemed dangerous for him. This is not a healthy- _

*

_ SHINOBI ACADEMY of KONOHAGAKURE _

_ UNIFORM _

_ First-year students must be dressed in comfortable sturdy clothing and shoes. They will get dirty and wet, so multiple sets of school clothing are recommended. A named change of clothing should be left in their locker permanently. Booklets on adapting civilian clothing for shinobi will be sent home as will class teacher’s personal recommendations for each child’s clothing. _

_ COURSE BOOKS _

_ All students should have a copy of each of the following: _

_ Standard book of Anatomy by Michiko Ise _

_ A History of Konoha and it’s Laws by Mito Uzumaki _

_ Shinobi Rules (12 edition. Editor: Danzo Shimura) _

_ The Heroes of Fire Country and its Allies _

_ Theory of Taijutsu' by Wing Chun _

_ Origins of Ninjutsu by Biwako Sarutobi _

_ Complexities of Genjutsu by Itadori and Kokumotsu Yuuhi _

_ OTHER EQUIPMENT _

_ 6 kunai, beginners weight and sharpness _ _  
_ _ 3 shuriken, beginners weight and sharpness _

_ 10 sets of all weather bandages _

_ 3 pencils _

_ 24 pack of crayons _

_ 4 notebooks _

_ 1 backpack _

_ PLEASE NOTE: NO BLADED OR WEIGHTED WEAPONS OR FAMILY ANIMALS ARE ALLOWED FOR FIRST YEARS. APPLY TO THE SCHOOL’S FINANCIAL OFFICE FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID OR ADVICE. _

*

_ Dear Obito, _

_Granny Ranma is driving me nuts, I can’t see my own feet or do a decent kunai throw, Kaoru is working double shifts so she can have time off when the baby arrives and I have heartburn all the time. _

_Now that you feel sorry for me could you please please be my kid’s godmother? I wouldn’t trust Shisui with a potted plant and Sakuya is Sakuya. Plus you get to be present for the birth but be at my head talking to me, not the other end with the grossness. I know you’re supposed to recite the shinobi rules and help me meditate on my duty as a Uchiha mother blah blah blah, but I figure we can gossip a bit between the contractions. _

_I_s_ it true Inabi is really courting you? Osuma said he saw you and him meeting at the barbecue place. _

_ Mai _

*

_ Dear Yuuhi, _

_ Sorry to bother you but Obito and _ _ my sensei _ _ Yashino-san are really busy with their clan’s various dramas and I got a weird invite to Hatake’s birthday party. I don’t even know him, just seen him around sometimes. And you seemed like the most sensible of your age group, when we met at Obito’s birthday party. _

_ Do I really need to give a donation to the animal rescue shelter or is that a code for something else? Should I be insulted or flattered? Why do I need to wear old clothing to a fancy restaurant in the centre of the village? Can I really tell him my dietary requirements or will they just be used against me? _

_ Actually, could we maybe meet somewhere, so you don’t have to write all this down? I train on the roof of the Tower when I don’t have assigned missions. I could buy you dango? _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Anko Mitarashi _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. In early December my laptop and harddrive was stolen, containing photos, documents and writing from the past ten years. I have no backups or copies of any of them so that threw my writing groove off for a bit. Fortunately most of the writing for this fic are on google docs.  
But I'm still not at my best and neither is this chapter. I borrowed a computer for this week but I have to give it back today so this is what we're all gonna have to deal with for now. let me know if there's anything that needs to be fixed.
> 
> Also my birthday is next week so I need validation...

“You can’t call him Kuidaore,” Obito told Mai sternly, as she cradled her godson protectively in her lap.

“But look at how floppy his head is!” Mai grinned, as she looked up from her laundry. “He can’t even rest against a pillow without something on either side of him.” Her smile slipped as she bent back over the bucket of smelly water. No amount of love could make washing soiled swaddling cloths enjoyable.

“He’s not even three months old, give him a bit of time before you label him something that’s gonna get him teased for life.” Obito glanced down at the tiny fingers clutching one of her own fingers and kissed feather soft hair. She had been the one to cut his umbilical cord, when Kaoru had been crying too hard to focus and she had been the one to burn the placenta a day later. The least Obito could do was make sure Mai didn’t pick the first name that popped into her head. This wasn’t a war baby, named quickly and frivolously, to keep them safe from bad luck. He could get a proper name.

“If this is gonna be Kaoru’s only blood child she should get to name him-” Obito saw Mai’s face twitch as she started the hand signs for a small fireball. “Oh no, what? Is Kaoru backing out of the surgery? Did the birth terrify her that much?”

“No,” Mai sighed and blew the fireball onto the washing water, making steam rise from the bucket. “The elders are being their usual bastard selves and saying maybe a boy from her isn’t good enough, a girl would be better. Kaoru’s really upset, she thought her surgery was a done deal.” She slumped down next to Obito and laid her head down near her sleeping son. “I try telling her that I don’t care what she looks like, she’s always and will always be a woman to me.”

“It’s not about you.” Obito said sharply, then patted Mai’s curly hair apologetically, “She just wants to feel right in her own skin. I can understand that. The elder’s are fucking her over.”

“Watch your shitty language around my son.” Mai said, “Or maybe daughter.” she added consideringly, “Maybe she’ll take after his beautiful mother...”

“Maybe,” Obito watched Mai stare at her baby, before her eyes began to droop and join her son in sleep. Motherhood was exhausting, even with a clan of people who were supposed to help. Mai didn’t get on with the two other new mothers in the clan and thus didn’t divide baby duties and chores with them, doing almost everything herself. Ranma was a proud but distant great-grandma and Shisui wasn’t interested in babies.

The decent thing to do would be for Obito to pick up the hints Mai dropped and offer to move in with them as a night nurse. But if Obito did that then she’d be stepping into a trap, especially if the elders wanted more kids from Kaoru. They’d make suggestions, offer bribes and threats and Obito would be stuck with her own Uchiha baby before the year was out.

That wasn’t going to happen. Not if everything went according to plan.

“What about Kagami?” Obito said when the baby began to stir and Mai instantly opened her eyes to check if he was alright. “For his name? Kagami after your great uncle? Ranma would be happy with that.”

“Kagami?” Mai tried out the name as she picked up her son and considered his scrunched up face. “Why not. Might get Granny to step in and tell them to back off Kaoru.”

“Kaoru is paying for her reassignment surgery herself, isn’t she? Tell her to look into going to a civilian clinic. I don’t see how the elders can interfere since they already gave her permission and she’s got the money and time off. Not like they can undo the surgery once it’s done.”

“Go against the elders? Do what we want instead of bowing to the will of the clan?” what kind of crazy world are you living in?” Mai smiled sadly. “I thought you were finally growing up and becoming sensible.”

“Oh, you know me.” Obito smiled back, shifting baby Kagami in her arms. “I forget sometimes how things work around here.”

*

“Are you angry with me?” Itachi asked hesitantly as Obito briskly ran her hands over the seals sewn into his shirt. They were an older version of her defection seals, made to keep dirt and water off, and the odd thrown weapon. She wasn’t allowed to let Genin wear her stronger seals, that resisted smoke and poison. These old ones would have to be enough.

“No, sweetheart.” Obito cupped his head and looked down at his worried face and freshly polished headband. The seals she had sewn on the underside of the metal band were near invisible, even if you knew what to look for. Like hell was Obito letting her little cousin go off to Suna without a location seal and way to call for help. “I could never be cross with you.”

She looked over Itachi’s head to his Genin teacher and gave him a death glare. The weak willed Yūki Minazuki, who let himself be talked into sending a nine year old into the Chunin exams, flinched.

Obito looked back at the still worried Itachi, and forced herself to smile and let go of his hair. “Just do your best and come home safely, alright?” She said.

He nodded and went to join his two teammates. They smiled and welcomed him into their conversation, making Obito’s nerves settle slightly. They were older and moderately fond of Itachi, they’d watch his back. Plus the two civilian born Genin were wearing Obito’s attempts at bribery, second hand outfits with all the adjustments and additions only clan-born parents knew to add to their children’s clothing. Her fingers still ached slightly from the unexpected amount of machine sewing she had done over a short time. Only the petty satisfaction of civilian-born children getting the benefit of her sewing machine had kept her spirits high.

Obito was just about to give Itachi’s teacher one more warning about blood limit slavers and how just because Itachi didn’t have his Sharingan didn’t mean he wouldn’t be targeted, when a voice echoed across the road and out the open gates of the village.

“Uchiha-san! Hi!” Obito turned to see Mizuki running up to her, grinning brightly. “Did you come to wish me good luck?” He said happily, unlike his usual sullen self when Obito used him as her personal a courier and messenger in the Tower. He was a much more sane age for Chunin exams at fourteen, with four years of experience as a genin.

“You?” Obito glanced back to see Itachi’s teacher had already started hustling his team out of the gates, on the way to Suna. Coward.

She turned back to look at Mizuki seriously. “You don’t need luck, you need to THINK!” Obito grabbed him by the lapels of his coat yanking him up to look right in his face. “No short-cuts, no sly-remarks, no stirring up trouble then getting angry when people don’t trust you. UNDERSTAND?”

“Yes Obito!” Mizuki grunted, trying to squirm out of her grip.

“Yes, I’ll work with people and not be a defensive, jealous ass?” Obito demanded.

“YES!”

“Good.” Obito let go and let him drop back onto his feet, pulling out a small fabric bag from one of her storage seals. “I got you some sunburn cream and snacks, plus a few extra paper seals.”

Mizuki took the bag cautiously, let Obito pat his white hair out of his eyes then ran out of the gates, without thanking her. He joined the twenty odd Genin and Jounin all on they way to Suna and the exams that would start in a few days.

“Share with your team!” Obito yelled after Mizuki as he caught up with his friend and yanked on his long hair affectionately. The boy - Irukai? Irura? -nudged him away goodnaturedly as they disappeared down the road.

“Who was that?” demanded one of the other Uchiha, seeing off his own son. “And why did you give him stuff and not my Yamazaki?”

“Yamazaki didn’t need anything, he’s the fifth grandkid of your mother to go to the Chunin exam in three years, he probably could step in as a proctor if they run short.” Obito said crossly. “Mizuki’s a Drop-off, he doesn’t have a family to give advice and hand-me down weapons-”

“Still. He’s Yamazaki and Itachi’s competition. After you made such a fuss over Itachi’s graduation and set Yamazaki on fire that one time, you should show more sense.”

Obito shrugged and turned to walk away, without replying. She hadn’t made a fuss about the exam, not like she had when Itachi was made a Genin. She had just not been as enthusiastic as everyone else. Apparently sending nine-year-olds off to an exam that mimicked warfare seemed like a great idea to everyone else. Fugaku said it bore well for the future and Minkoto had smiled enigmatically. Only little Sasuke had voiced complaint, not wanting his brother to be away for so long.

It was just another way to emphasis how right Obito was to make her plans.

*

“Looking good Obito!” Chiaki called as the younger girl caught up with her on the way out of the compound, commenting on her favorite clan shirt with the zipper in the front, making the high collar fold down when needed. With the setting sun, Obito had the collar up for now, blocking out the cold evening air.

By contrast to Obito’s simple and comfortable clothing, Chiaki was all dolled up for a night out of her family's sight. Despite the make-up and carefully chosen clothing, she looked every inch her teen years.

“Where’s your coat?” Obito said, instead of commenting on the tightness of Chiaki’s clothing.

“Don’t need one.”

“You do if you want to get past the gate guards. The older ones have opinions on what a decent Uchiha wears in public, even off duty.”

Chiaki rolled her eyes and made a hand gestured that summed up Obito’s own opinions of busy bodies who liked to overstep their boundaries as family.

“Here,” Obito pulled out a scarf from the bag she was carrying. “Wear it like a shawl and maybe they won’t notice.”

“Thanks.” Chiaki took the scarf and after wrapping it over her shoulders gestured to her bag. “Why don’t you put that in a storage seal?”

Because there are already so many seals on it they might explode if I put them in another seal. Obito thought, but she smiled, “So Inabi can carry it for me.”

“Ewwe,” Chiaki informed her, “Is that still going on?”

“Yep. We’re going to a birthday party together.” Obito didn’t let her smile fall. “His idea, wants me to help him make connections with some people.”

“Which people?” Chiaki said. “Important dull people?

“Gai Matio and his group. Most of the civilian Jounin.”

“Those are your friends.” Chiaki said skeptically, “So why does Inabi want to go- Oh.” Chiaki scowled, “He’s using you to make connections with them now that they’re Jounin, when he wouldn’t give them the time of day as Genin? That’s messed up Obito!”

“Hush Child,” Obito said as they approached the gates of the compound. “Don’t criticize things you don’t understand.”

They were silent as they both signed out of the compound, and Osuma apologetically doubled checked Obito had permission to leave the compound outside of work hours. Inabi had helpfully given her a signed letter stating he would meet her after his shift and be with her the whole night, vouching for her safely. The two girls walked out the gate and out of sight of the high walls in continuing silence.

“You sounded just like my aunt just then,” Chiaki finally said as they came to the corner that led to the main street. “I thought you’d always be cool. But I guess you’re just like every other grown up in this clan now. Doing what they say. Courting who they tell you, letting them use you. And telling me to shut up when I say out aloud how wrong it is.”

“Chiaki-” Obito begin, but Chiaki was already pulling the scarf off and throwing it back at Obito, storming off towards the north of the village, where the more subdued restaurants and drinking spots were.

“Damn.” Obito muttered to herself, and fought the urge to chase after her. Chiaki would forget the conversation, especially after a night out with her friends. But the guilt would linger with Obito for a long time.

“Ready to go?” A friendly hand patted her shoulder and Obito resisted the urge to shrug it off. Instead she smiled at Inabi and nodded as they began walking down the road.

“How was work?” she asked, cutting off his next question and relaxed into the resulting monologue that lasted until they reached the meeting place Gai had put on her invitation. It was going to be a long night.

*

The restaurant was a small place where Gai had taken the precaution of booking the entire place for the night. The dining room was nothing special, but that was fine because it had been picked for it’s outside area that connected to a wide training field that had also been booked for the evening. Target posts were set up nearby, allowing the guests to fling their meat skewers and disposable plates from the table.

In this relaxed atmosphere, with everyone briefed to not make a big deal over Kakashi or his age, Obito performed her role as Inabi’s date and introduced him to everyone he wanted to officially meet.

“I heard you were off to the capitol,” Inabi said with an integrating smile to Asuma and Asuma put on a fake smile of his own as he explained he had turned down the offer of becoming one of the Twelve Guardians and no he wasn’t offended that the Fire Daimyo had turned around and appointed some random kunoichi in his place…

“Well, old Koharu did bring his wife home with her, I guess he needed someone to replace-no?” Asuma frowned as Inabi and Obito shook their heads. “What?”

“Old grizzly war veterans of any gender are not the Fire Daimyo’s first choice for company.” Inabi grinned, passing Asuma a drink. “You probably were though...”

Asuma’s face, as he realised what Inabi was saying, made Anko and Kurenai burst into laughter. Gai’s teammate Aio shyly changed the subject while Asuma failed to compose himself.

“Are any of you affected by the planned renovations?” he asked softly, playing with his pocket watch. “I heard whole buildings of people are getting moved out…”

“I heard the whole main street is getting widened,” volunteered Shizune, picking up another skewer of meat. “Every building on the right side is getting knocked down to make room. Room for what I don’t know.”

“More space for stalls. They’re moving the whole market down two streets to make more room in the center for permanent shops.” Abe, Gai’s new friend from the research department, told her as he absentmindedly tried the dip and started coughing at the spice of it.

“But what happens to the people who lived here? Are new houses being built somewhere else?” Asked Obito as she took a bun from the basket Inabi offered her.

“Yes, all along the east side of the village, those quick and easy wooden structures. Should fit about sixty small families and half as many single renters.” Abe said after a swig from his cup to cool his throat.

“That’s pretty close to the old clan grounds.” Inabi observed, “Maybe we’ll sell our land next and get some actual use from it.” He suggested with a nudge to Obito’s side. She carefully didn’t winch as it hit an old injury.

“Mmmhh,” Gai didn’t comment, busy competing with Kakashi over who could throw their food skewers to the furthest target with the best accuracy.

“Speaking as someone who lives in one of those quick and easy buildings,” said Anko hesitantly, from her corner of the table. “I think they should fix the ones we already have before they build more.”

“Those buildings were put up in a hurry after the war, they were only supposed to be a temporary solution to the housing crisis.” Abe said softly, as he passed her a dish. “The new ones have much more planning and regulations behind them.”

“The water pressure will be better for everyone once the big pipe replacement job is done.” Asuma pointed out cheerfully, recovered from his embarrassment of narrowly avoiding being the Fire Daimyo’s court ornament

“Except they’re starting on the west side and won’t start for another six months and who knows if the houses will still be standing then.”

“You’re still a bit of a downer, aren’t you Anko?”

“And you’re still a slacker Asuma!”

The two glared at each other, dropping the pretense that they didn’t know each other. Obito had forgotten that of course the student of Orochimaru would know the son of the Sannin’s teacher. And Obito hadn’t seen any sign that Asuma or his father had done a damn thing to help Anko after Orochimaru’s escape. Anko had a right to be pissed.

“Friends!” Gai slammed a tray of full cups on the table, diffusing the tension. “I challenge all of you to out drink me!”

“You’re on!” Kurieni was the first to take up a cup, followed by everyone else.

“Obito, I don’t think you should-” Inabi begin but Obito was already drinking, looking innocent when she slammed down her empty cup and looked at him inquisitively.

“Oh? Why not?”

“You know…” Inabi said cautiously, “We need to leave early. For curfew and our plans?”

“You have a curfew?” Genma laughed around his third cup, sitting down next to Inabi. “That’s lame. You’re both grown shinobi!” he teased, ignoring Inabi’s scowl.

“Yes we are!” Agreed Obito, taking Inabi’s hand and putting a fill cup into it. “Proper grown adults, right Inabi?”

“Yes. Right.” Inabi looked around the table, and seeing he was the only one not drinking enthusiastically, took a sip.

“Don’t be a baby-” Shizune nudged him in the side. “Drink up! I’ll tell you Lady Tsunade’s miracle hangover cure!”

“I thought that was a Senju clan secret.” Inabi frowned, but finished his drink obediently.

Obito glanced around the table of happy drinkers, and accidently met Kakashi’s eyes on the other side. She looked back down at the table awkwardly, becoming very interested in the numerous scratches on it’s worn down surface.

Under the table Genma nudged her false leg. She mustered a smile and took up another full cup.

*

Later, when they were safely boozed up, presents were presented. Most of the guests had followed Gai’s advice and donated to the animal shelter and brought cards and dog treats. But Obito hadn’t access to cash or dog gifts. So she recycled last year’s never given present.

“It’s... blue.” Kakashi said softly, examining the jacket and shirt cautiously.

“And gray.” Gai noted, eyeing the hakama that came with it.

“Gray is traditional.” Obito said defensively, embarrassed. “And I got the fabric at a good rate because no one else wanted it. It’s the same shade of blue as your chidori, she wanted to say, and the closest grey to your hair I could find. I had to have it dyed a shade darker just to get it to match. You said your clan had no colours but you do now. Lighting blue and storm grey and Chunin green. I went to the Higishi’s log book and I checked no other clan in the land had those colours together. You can refuse to wear your clan symbol but I will give you something to know who you are.

“It’s shiny.” Anko observed, turning the cuffs of the kimono sleeve inside out. “Metal?”

“Wax” Obito told her, “Makes it water resistant.”

“Nice work,” Shizune said admiringly. “I heard you did sewing on the side but this is high quality. Can’t think of a place Kakashi would need to wear it though-”

“Oh I didn’t sew this myself-.” Obito tried to explain.

“Maybe a wedding-” Inabi interrupted with an affectionate arm around Obito’s shoulder. “Good to have a formal set in the cupboard, for when friends and family make things formal.”

There was a flickering of expressions across everyone at the table, awkward shifting and eyes focusing on their food or the middle distance.

“Maybe.” Kakashi said frostily, putting the clothing set back in it’s bag.

“Anyway!” Anko slammed her hands on the table. “Someone tell me where to buy furniture for my tiny, soon to be demolished flat! I finally have a decent paycheck to spend!”

*

“So we now have four barrels of what’s probably not Hero Water in the evidence room, blocking any way of getting to the civilian possession records-”

“I know! Furi never thinks before he confiscates things-”

Obito, leaning against the inner compound wall while Inabi talked with gate guards outside, rolled her eyes.

“Good night?” Osuma asked casually, smoking the dregs of his cigarette.

“Good drinks.” Obito said with equal casualness, adjusting her slouch. “Inabi’s got the rest of the bottle on him somewhere.”

“Oh yeah, Inabi always get the best stuff. So: you and him?”

“Me and him,” Obito agreed tiredly.

“Good match.” Osuma muttered, turning to breathe out smoke away from her. “He’ll be good for you- organised, driven, ambitious. You’ll be taken care off.”

“And I won’t be if I don’t marry him?” Obito said softly.

“Well…” Osuma coughed awkwardly, dropping the stub and stomping it out, “I mean.. It’s just easier for you this way.”

“Oh yeah,” Obito forced a laugh, “I know, I was teasing… How’s your mom? Are the new eye-drops working?”

*

Inabi led Obito up the pathway of Yoshino’s house, past the barren garden and pockmarked holes, and lingered long enough that Obito felt obligated to offer him her lips and let him kiss her properly, hands coming to her stomach and back-

-before he slumped over, groaning about his head.

“Shhhh-” Obito cooed, opening the front door and helping him in, “Let’s find you a nice bed to sleep it off.”

“No no, I’m fine really-” Inabi tried to put out his arm to stop her, but missed and staggered forward almost crashing into a framed scroll. Obito shut the door and grabbed his back pushing him forward towards her room.

“I really shouldn’t” Inabi said, even as he slumped down and Obito caught him before he hit the floor. “This isn’t how I wanted to- wait.” His face contorted in betrayal, “am I poisoned?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have had a sip from Genma’s bottle…” Obito mused as she used one hand to undo the seals of the guest bedroom door. “Or maybe you should have accepted Shizune’s hangover cure. Or maybe Anko scratched you with her meat skewer-” Inabi fell into the bedroom, trying to form a set of hand seals with shaking fingers. “Or maybe you shouldn’t have insisted on coming to Kakashi’s party with me.” She watched Inabi fail to gather enough chakra to flush the toxin. “Don’t worry, Inabi. It’s not meant to kill you.” She said softly as she shut and locked the door behind her.

“YOU…. I was-” Inabi tried to say as he slumped onto the ground, body still jerking and shaking uncontrollably.

Obito forced herself to wait and make sure he was really unconscious, before pulling out a prepared syringe and grabbing Inabi’s shaking arm. A mere scratch of poison had been enough to knock him out but a full dose of antitoxin was needed to make sure he suffered no long term consequences.

“I’m not sorry.” Obito said as she found one of his veins and injected. “I feel like I should be. But I’m not.”

*

Her own hands were shaking by the time the temple steps came into view. It was stupid but Obito couldn’t shake the thought that Kakashi wouldn’t show up. That he’d finally realize the enormity of what he was risking, what he would have to deal with forever if he really married her and had smartly decided not to go through with it.

She turned back, looked behind to the distant wall she had easily escaped. She could turn around and be back before anyone ever realized she had left, tell Inabi he had drank too much and hallucinated her betrayal. She’d just… wake up tomorrow and actually be the person she had been pretending to be for months, accepting, resigned, come to her senses Obito.

No. Fuck it.

Even if Kakashi did get cold feet she wasn’t going back. The Temple gave sanctuary to anyone who swore devotion to the Gods and bound their blood to it’s very stones. Better the prison she choose than the one her family put her in, right?

“Obito?” Kakashi emerged from the treeline, jogging over to join her at the stone stairs. “Did everything go alright? Did anyone see you?” He put out a hand, still clad in the same clothing he had worn to the party hours before.

Obito’s smile was too wide to let her speak, so she just shook her head, taking his offered hand. Kakashi slid his other arm around and under her shoulders, taking the bulk of her weight and letting her focus on moving her legs up the stone stairs. They climbed the 108 stairs in silence, the stillness of the night and the old building dominating the air.

Finally they reached the top and Obito looked around cautiously, half convinced someone would emerge from a shadow to drag her back.

“Are you alright?” Kakashi tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her closer. “You can change your mind, Obito. I wouldn’t mind. We can do this another time or think of something else-”

“Have you changed YOUR mind? Do you not want to do this?”

“NO!” Kakashi let go of her hand to clutch together his own, in a pleading gesture. “But- you’re risking everything and I’m not-”

“My family will probably kill you if they catch you.” Obito said, sounding far too calm for her own internal panic. “Definitely they’ll finally take back my eye and your own one just to be spitful-”

“That’s alright-”

“It’s really not. Stop saying things like that about yourself.” Obito put her hands over his, looking up at him. “I’m not backing out, are you?”

“No.”

“Okay. So- are we going to go in or are we going to wait for a sign?”

“Can I help you?” a voice called from above them and they looked up to see a confused face look down at them. It was a mature face with familiar brown eyes and purple markings on his unshaven cheeks. “The Temple is open all hours of the night but we very rarely get worshipers so late when the moon isn’t waxing- don’t I know you?”

Obito’s shoulders relaxed and her face broke into a giant smile. Thank-you Rin.  
“Yes, Hello Brother Nohara- we were hoping you could do us a small favour.”

*

Rin’s uncle, who had supported her path as a medic and ninja, was very happy to perform a wedding service, providing they both undertook the required rituals before hand. Which was why Obito had to be naked and inspected by an attendant and a group of giggling attendants in training. Her scalp was minutely scrutinized hair by hair, her mouth stared into with a bright torch then every other part of her body got the same treatment. Obito gritted her teeth and bore it, knowing this was necessary to prove she wasn’t here under any outside influence. Kakashi would be experiencing the exact same treatment in another room.

An absolutely vile concoction was held to her lips and Obito had to drink it all without gagging, then endure another jug of the purifying mixture poured over her. The three seals Obito had on her skin where coated and redecorated in the Temple’s special clay that would make them unusable for hours.

Spitting at the lingering taste and with the clay itching on her still dripping body, Obito was read the five pages of the wedding contract, verbally agreeing to every sentence, proving she understood everything about what she was risking and swearing upon a sacred vine garland she was here willingly and of complete free will.

After all that, Obito’s change of clothing was returned to her and the young girls helped her dress in a plain grey robe, careful not to rub off the clay covered seals, and led her back to the temple hall for her wedding.

*  
The blades had been inspected just as closely as Obito had been, droplets of purifying still visible on the White Fang’s tantō’s hilt and the new point of Obito’s knife.

“Nice blade,” Obito said softly, as she knelt down before Brother Nohara, who was now clad in his official robes of office.

“Used on of Minato-sensei’s kuni’s,” Kakashi said gruffly, gently helping her into a position her knees could hold, then knelling himself, wearing the robes Obito had given him that evening. “Nice gold on the tantō.”

“Melted down my mother’s hair pin. She would have understood.” Obito said with lightness she did not feel. She had gotten a blacksmith to mend the tantō, not a proper bladesmith. The gold wouldn’t hold up to a single strike, but it would do for the ceremony.

“Are you ready to begin” Brother Nohara asked gently as attendents of varying ages and genders lined up along the sides.

Obito swallowed, heard Kakashi do the same and smiled despite her nerves. “Yes.” they said in unison.

*  
There was talk of gods and felty, of duty and loyalty. Of obedience and understanding. Obito barely heard it over the loud beating of her heart and the rambling of her thoughts. Her throat was so dry, bitterness still in her mouth. What if she messed up her vows?

Finally the blades were picked up and brought forward, glowing in the subdued lighting of the temple.

“Will you cast your family aside?”

“Yes.” Obito’s voice was firm and true.

“Will you take up your husband’s loyalty and name?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. No doubt.

“Do you swear it? To your gods, spirits and ancestors?”

“Yes.” And it was that easy, to cast aside her clan. To do the most vile thing an Uchiha born could do. Kin murder was understandable, but this?

The two blades were picked up by Brother Nohara and brandished.

“With these blades you bind your blood and chakra together, to undo it will be painful and in three days impossible - I ask you again - are you certain you want to be wed?” the holy man demanded.

Black eyes meet black and grey. No hesitation in their response. “Yes.”

The tantō of White Fang and an Iwa knife slashed across two scarred, calloused palms. Then Kakashi and Obito clasped their bleeding hands together tightly. Tears feel freely from Obito’s eyes as unheeded as the blood dripping down their entwined arms.

“Happy tears?” Kakashi whispered as the priest bound their hands together with inked and coloured paper, chanting in a language neither of them understood.

“Happy tears.” Obito promised, as foreign chakra tingled down her arm. Her eyes were red and wet, Kakashi’s face bared and vulnerable and feeling overwhelmed her. Obito gasped as familiar chakra filled every point of her body, clenching her teeth and her grip on Kakashi’s hand before the moment passed and she came back to herself.

“What has been bound together here, may it never be severed!” Brother Nohara declared loudly to the deserted temple. The short line of attending priests in training clapped and echoed his decree. “May Mayari and all those who have gone before us - look upon you and bless your marriage!”

Obito stared at Kakashi’s face and almost imagined she could see Rin, Minato and everyone else just behind him, smiling widely - but that was just her tears blurring her vision.

She leaned her head forward, pressing her forehead to Kakashi’s. “I love you husband.”

“...wife.” Kakashi whispered back and Obito sighed at the love she heard in his voice.

“This has been an honour children,” Brother Nohara said softly, putting gentle hands to their bound hands and gently tearing the now bare and ordinary paper. “But, I suspect you need to be gone by the time put out the marriage announcement.” He grinned as he bent down to talk softly. “Even though it might have to be very low on the board and in my file to the Tower. Lots of important information about the War Anniversary to be announced too, very important you know.”

Obito smiled, even though she couldn’t bring herself to move. “Thank-you. I wish-” she stopped.

“She would have been so happy for you both.”

Kakashi broke their handclasp gently, dried blood flaking as it to keep their palms glued together. Immediately he reached out to wrap arms around Obito’s back and under her knees, lifting her up off the cushions and blood spattered mat.

As Kakashi carried her away from the temple alter two attendants rushed forward to collect the mat with both their blood on it, the final piece of proof the temple and the Tower would need to show the wedding had occurred.

Obito wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up to hide his face has best she could with her own. She waved her bloody palm at the priest as they stepped out of the hall and into the slim light of barest dawn.

The moment Kakashi crossed over the anti-chakra wards they were gone, in a single puff of smoke.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konoha is a thriving city pretending to still just be a village, with complex organisations and alliances to keep it working. A single lose end can complicate eveything.
> 
> Or
> 
> Obito has eloped and the Uchiha are slowly lose their shit with the rest of Konoha following after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh the world changed fast, didn't it?
> 
> I'm so grateful I'm a live-in nanny this year, not a supply teacher. Got an attic room with a sunny view, a job to focus on every weekday and stuff to do in my room on the weekend. I hope everyone else is doing alright and staying safe.
> 
> My beta hasn't responded to my emails for months, I'm hoping they're okay just sick of me. So if you can spot any of the many many mistakes in this chapter then you have what it takes to be my beta. Comment now to be party to my incoherent plotting emails. Failing that, can someone please tell me how to get a good spell checker on an amazon kindle?

Sakuya approached the house with trepidation. Neither Obito or Yashino would be happy to see her and Tayuka, Yashino’s wife, would be her usual neutral self and refuse to be drawn into the squabbles of another branch line of the Uchiha.

It was an insult that Obito had chosen to live with them over Sakuya’s mother, Obito’s own maternal aunt. Most of the clan had assumed Obito had chosen the quieter house for more privacy with Inabi’s courtship. But Sakuya couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it. Obito didn’t make her decisions with the same logic the rest of the Uchiha used.

Still, Sakuya forced herself out of her military stride and relaxed her shoulders as she reached the door, blood was blood. The prison needed new flooring and the tunnel the Uzushio brats had dug was barely filled in. The Inuzuki were being dogs about giving Sakuya the backlogs and paperwork she needed to really get the prison under her full control. These were all problems Obito would be able to solve easily, with her connections outside of the Uchiha clan.

Sakuya found the house quiet and the front door unlocked, signs of a rushed meal for two in the kitchen. Yashino and Tayuka’s breakfast she’d say from the dirty plates and cups, both out doing whatever it was they did in their retired lives.

“Obito,” she called to the passage beyond the kitchen, “Are you awake? The gate guards said you didn’t have work today at the Tower.” She said as she cautiously walked through towards the bedrooms. No one had seen Inabi since escorting Obito home last night and there had been smirks and satisfied nods among the early morning gossipers, that the courtship was proceeding as expected.

But Sakuya knew how Inabi worked, he wouldn’t have put out until marriage was a certainty.

Sakuya knocked on the bedroom door Obito had been given, smaller and plainer than what she would have been given if she had stayed with Izunami, “Obito? You need to be mature and talk to me face to face.” A loud bump came from within the room, and Sakuya tried the door. It was locked.

“Obito? Yell if you don’t want me to come in.” She said, already using the hand seals needed to deactivate the Fuinjutsu that locked the door. Obito was getting ridiculous with her security of late, thank goodness Sakuya had thought to copy her keysigns.

There was no yell from the room so Sakuya strode in, hand on her sword holster. Only to encounter a truly disturbing sight.

“Oh Gods! Tell me this isn’t what I think it is!” She demanded of a tied up and gagged Inabi. “I did not need to know what kind of games you get up to with my little cous- wait.” Sakuya took in the bloody wires tied tauntly around Inabi’s wrist and ankles, the stress and fatigue radiating off him.

“No. They didn’t- why would they leave your eyes?” She demanded, cutting Inabi free as she scanned the room for signs of a struggle and kidnap. If blood-limit hunters got Obito they would have taken Inabi’s eyes at the bare minimum and killed him, not tied him up- 

A gold shimmer drew her eye to Obito’s sewing machine, sitting in the centre of an otherwise empty table. Draped over the machine was a piece of silk - the expensive kind Sakuya’s mother longed for. On it were embroidered nine neat diamonds in gold thread. Sakuya left Inabi to cut free his own ankles and went closer hesitantly checking for traps and genjutsu. 

“No,” she whispered, as she picked up the silk, feeling the thread to confirm it was real gold. The other side was just as neatly done. The perfect Hakate clan symbol on both sides in expensive gold. “NO!”

As shock turned to rage, Sakuya gripped the silk with two hands, driven to rip apart Obito’s neat sewing.

“Don’t.” Inabi coughed out with a dry throat. “She left hours ago, they’ll be married by now.”

“How could you let him take her!” Sakuya turned on the coughing man, her Sharingan bleeding into life. “Do you know what kind of man Hatake is?”

“He wasn’t even here! Obito did all this herself - almost killed me before tying me up. She had her bride price all sewn and ready to put out, all her things packed into those blasted storage seals-”

“No.” Sakuya stared around the room, seeing most of Obito’s possessions still there. “She wouldn’t leave the sewing machine or or all her clothing…”

But she knew it wasn’t true. The items that Obito truly treasured: her grandmother’s sewing basket, the battle axes of her great-grandparents and whole shelves of her notebooks and Fuinjutsu tools. Those were gone. She pushed past Inabi to force open the bedside table. “Her headband and team photo. She’s really gone.”

Inabi spat onto his bloody wrists, “She’s throwing her life away. Hakate is a clan of one, with no support or stability beyond his reputation as a killer and his father’s legacy as a war starter. They’ll both be dead within a year-” Inabi huffed as he finished bandaging his wounds. “I need to tell Lord Fugaku quickly, before he decides I was a part of this-”

“No,” Sakuya grabbed the door and pushed it closed, before he could walk through it. She stared at the door, trying to marshal her thoughts. “No.” she repeated softly, “We can still fix this.”

“Obito is gone, Sakuya. Out of the compound, out of the clan, In Hakate’s bed getting fuck-” Sakuya swung around and grabbed Inabi by his banaged wrists and squeezing tightly.

“Shut. Up.” She hissed into his face, as his bandages grew damp under her grip. “We find them. We kill him. You marry her right away-” Inabi opened his mouth to argue, despite his self preservation, but Sakuya overroad him with a shake, “and you get to keep everything that was Hakate’s: his council votes, his money, Obito’s Sharingan and any brat he managed to force into her-”

“She went willingly-”

“She’s Obito.” Sakuya said with certainty, “She doesn’t know how to make sane decisions! She’s weak and stupid and easily confused. Help me fix her mistake and you get everything you’ve ever wanted…”

Inabi looked away from her Sharingan. “Yes,” he whispered and Sakuya let him drop.

*

The first ones to read the temple noticeboard was the usual crowd - early morning risers, church goers and workers, most of them Immigrants from Rice and River country like their priest. None of them had much to do with the shinobi or the great clans of the village. Few of them cared much that an unknown couple had used their temple last night to wed. The names meant little to them.

Except: “Uchiha… I know that name.”

“Everyone knows that name. They founded Konoha.”

“Thought that was the Akimichi…”

“No no, the Senju and the Uchiha fought for the village and the Senju lost.”

“Hatake… Uchiha and Hatake. I’ve heard those two names together somewhere…”

“You could ask Brother Nohara?”

“Yes! Nohara, Hatake and Uchiha. That was our Rin’s shinobi team. The boy was the one that got her killed.”

“The dark haired one who followed her like a puppy? He got her killed?”

“No no, that one died, then Hatake killed Rin a year later. Before the demon attack-”

Engrossed in their arguing, the two churchgoers didn’t notice the butcher’s delivery boy pause next to them, reading the wedding notice very slowly. Nor did they notice him slip away, back to his guild master, deer leg he was meant to deliver still hanging over his back.

*

Yoshino approached the Yamanaka’s inner glass house cautiously, Shikamaru napping on her back. Shikaku wasn’t home, had gone out drinking last night and hadn’t bothered to tell her where he would be sleeping off his hangover, and she needed to leave her son with someone she trusted.

The Nara were still relative strangers to her even after seven years of marriage, but Inochi’s wife had always made an extra effort to befriend Yoshino. And Yoshino needed a friendly ear right now.

Yoshino entered the glass structure, seeing a blonde haired figure in the very centre of the warm room, tending to the exotic rose plants. She stopped short upon seeing the woman’s face under a wide brimmed hat, but Inoko had already noticed her.

“Come in child. Don’t hover there like a half-wit,” she commanded and snapped her fingers. They were clad in elegant white gloves, far too nice for gardening use.

Yoshino swallowed. This was the wrong Lady Yamanaka. Inochi’s sister made her disapproval for most things known and Yoshino was one of them. Still. She squared her shoulders, as much as Shikamaru’s four-year-old weight allowed and walked into the warm room calmly.

“Inoko, what a lovely way to spend the morning - tending your family's beautiful flowers.” she said, purposefully avoiding the title of lady. It felt disloyal to Kijima to use it and she didn’t know why the Yamanaka insisted on giving the clan head’s sister the same amount of respect as his wife. Yoshino would not have stood for such things if Shikaku had a sister.

Inoko frowned at the green buds. “These plants are more trouble than they’re worth, just looking for new ways to die - is that boy ill?” Inoko demanded, stepping away from Yoshino. “I can’t abide ill children.”

“Shikamaru is fine, thank-you. Just having a little nap. I was hoping to leave him with Kijima while I go to the tower-”

Inoko put up a hand and Yoshino automatically snapped her mouth shut. Her mother had used that exact gester when she fought with her sisters. “What business do you have at the tower, so sudden you have no babysitter and too serious to bring your precious son with?”

“It’s of no consequence to you Inoko-” Yoshino said lightly, avoiding her sharp gaze.

“Yoshino.” Said Inoko sternly, putting down the garden clippers. “You still have tells when you lie. I thought your mother taught you better.” Shikakaru stirred in sleep, sensing the tension in his mother’s back.

“The Skinner Guildmaster,” Yoshino shifted Shikamaru on her back, wanting to put him down but not seeing a safe place for a sleeping boy. “She asked me to - she wants me to congratulate the Hokage on the marriage of one of his student’s students. It’s an unexpected development-”

“Mitarashi or Katō.” demanded Inoko, voice cracking like a whip.

“Uchiha.” Yoshino spat out, wanting to surprise the old woman for once. “Jirayia’s cross-dressing charity case.”

She succeeded. “What,” Inkoko dropped her shearing clippers in the rose bush. “What do you mean Obito got married? To which cousin? Osuma, Kofune- not that ass Inabi?”

Yoshino didn’t know Inoko paid that much attention to the various branches of the Uchiha. She watched in concern as Inoko clutched her mouth and muttered to herself, shifting in place. Almost as if the woman was uncertain.

“No… not a cousin.” Inoko said to herself, as Yoshino leaned forward to catch her words. “The Uchiha would have announced it well in advance. Skinner guild, early morning: yesterday’s leftovers to the charities. Temple kitchen with the marriage announcements on the board right by it...” Inoko took a deep breath and uncovered her mouth. “If it’s Jiraiya I will kill him. Slowly.” She yanked a whole branch off the nearest plant, her lacy gloves somehow remaining unbroken from the thorns. “I told Homaru we needed to change the law. Men will always take advantage of young girls if they can!”

Obito had given Inoko those gloves, though Yoshino, cataloging that fact with others. “It’s a younger man, actually.” she said softly, her pleasure at upsetting the older woman not overcoming her caution.

Inoko looked at her and Yoshino would never really be used to being looked though by the Yamanaka’s pupiless eyes. “Sarutobi or Hatake?” Inoko whispered, dropping the branch. 

Sarutobi? Yoshino had no idea what her clan had to do with an Uchiha or how Inoko had known- “Hatake.” she confirmed.

Inoko’s shoulders slumped, “Thank mud and clover. I can work with that.” She pulled her gloves off and shoved them at Yoshino. “Put that boy down and finish pruning these bushes would you, Child? I have more important things to do.”

“But I…” Yoshino caught the gloves between her chin and collar, hands still occupied with holding Shikamaru on her back.

“Your father will not thank you for pointing out how out of touch he is with his student’s lineage, Yoshino.” Inoko said briskly, taking off her gardening hat and apron. “You do yourself a discredit in still trying to fight your sisters for his affection. You married into the Nara and bore them their heir. If you worked half as hard for them as you do for your father’s clan you’d be accepted as one of them.” Her point made, Inoko stalked off towards the main building of the Yamanako estate, purpose in every inch of her stance.

She looked so much like Biwako, off to smooth the way for her Hokage husband that Yoshino did as she ordered, wishing that her mother was still alive to give her advice, instead of her mother’s old secretary.

*

Sakuya cursed to herself as she ran up another flight of stairs. She had been in this exact situation more than a year ago, running to Hakate’s apartment in a mix of rage and panic, frantic to find Obito before she ruined herself.

She should have forced Obito from his bed there and then, dragged her home to face the clan elders and confess her actions, been made to see sense. If Sakuya had done that, instead of letting her own illicit romance sway her sympathies, then none of this would be happening.

Hakate’s apartment had the same Fuinjutsu on the door as Obito’s did and Sakuya didn’t slow her steps as she unlocked and burst through the door.

“Police! Open up in the name of the- Sumiya?” Sakuya stumbled to a halt, seeing her ex-lover seated in Kakashi Hakate’s apartment, holding out a teapot to an angry looking Shizune Senju seated across from her.

“What are you doing here?” Both ex’s demanded of each other. “What am I doing here? What are you-”

“This is my apartment.” interjected Shizune, taking the teapot from Sumiya and pouring a cup for them both.

The smell of the tea wafted over to Sakuya by the open door and she slammed it shut in a rage. It was Sumiya’s favorite tea the Senju was sipping. One Sakuya had given to her as an anniversary gift.

“What gives you the right to barge into my home and scream at my guest?” Shizune finished pouring.

“Hakate has stolen from my clan!” Sakuya focused her mind on her original goal.

“So? Your clan steals jutsu from everyone. About time someone did it to you-”

“He has stolen my sister! Where is she Senju?”

“Firstly,” Shizune calmly put the teapot to the side. “Obito is your cousin at best and your whipping dog at worst, not your sister. Secondly, Kakashi has never managed to get Obito to do anything she did not want to do herself. And thirdly, I am Shizune Kato, not Senju.”

“Why does Sakuya think your name is Senju?” asked Sumiya softly, putting a hand over Shizune’s.

“Uchiha always make their foster’s change their clan name to theirs. They have no respect for dead ancestors or lost family-”

“Shut up Shizune!” Sakuya’s Sharingan activated as she gave way to her emotions. “Tell me where to find her- Him- THEM!” Sumiya was wearing a fancy dress but no make-up, her hair was tied up with a band like Shizune’s…

“Sakuya calm down. You’re not making any sense.” Sumiya said, “Come sit down and have some tea. Explain to us what has happened.”

“You’re fucking her.” Sakuya said flatly, as her Sharingan helpfully gave her all the clues and hints she desperately wanted to miss. “What is with this place? Is it a brothel? Is she paying by the hour for it? For you?”

Sumiya’s face shattered into hurt.

Shizune’s cup shattered in her hand as she stood up. “You are way out of line Uchiha. Show some basic decency-”

“What does a woman who abandoned her master know of decenc-”

Sakuya saw Shizune’s punch coming, her Sharingan being on and swirling the entire conversation - and she tracked and caught Shizune’s fist in her own hand easily enough.

But Shizune’s fist didn’t stop in Sakuya’s strong grip, overpowering it to continue her lunge and hitting Sakuya right in the clavicle bone, the force making her step back and hit the wall behind her. If Sakuya hadn’t been in her uniform, in the Uchiha shirt with the under armour, she would have broken bones from that single punch.

Shizune and Sakuya stared at each other, Shizune's punching hand still held fruitlessly by Sakuya, her shock echoed in Shizune’s brown eyes. Neither of them really wanted this fight, here and now. They could step away before real damage was done-

“Sweetheart!” Sumiya called, from the corner she had taken refuge with the teapot. “Be careful!”

“I will.” both Shizune and Sakuya replied automatically. Then the tension was back on as they glared at each other.

Five minutes later Sakuya was punched out of the apartment via the open window, dragging Shizune down with her by a grip on her hair.

*

“Naomi!” Inabi bellowed into the messy evidence room of the Police Station. “I need you. NOW!”

“What now?” Naomi yelled back, from a desk piled high with various stacks of paperwork, the only neat spot in the room. “I told you I wouldn’t be done with the Kumo-Samurai case before tomorrow.”

“Forget that,” Inabi approached her and grabbed her by the shawl she was using to keep the dust off her hair and mouth. “I need your help - it’s Obito.” He said seriously to the other Uchiha.

“Is she okay?” Niaomis immediately asked, putting down the pen she had been about to dig into the arm holding her. “What’s wrong?”

Inabi glanced behind him, making sure no one had noticed his fast arrival and that they were still the only two in the room. “She’s done something really stupid. Hakate made her do it, but we need to find her before she ruins her life-”

“Hatake? Kakashi Hatake? But he killed Obito’s little girlfriend, Obito hates his guts.” Niomi squirmed out of Inabi’s grip. “Did she finally decide to claim vengeance? Has her Mangokyoto activated and driven her mad?”

Even as Niomi babbled she was moving, towards the back wall covered in shelves of papers and files, searching for something. Niomi was useless at ninjutsu, had never activated her Sharingan but more than earned her keep in the clan with her skill in paperwork. Who needed fireballs when you could navigate red tap as fast as any Tower worker?

“I mean,” Niomi continued as she clambered up the shelves, “If she has the element of surprise and the Mangokyoto she could win. Obito fights dirty, Hatake wouldn’t be expected it.”

“Niomi, be serious!” Inabi called up to her as she reached the very top shelves, up against the roof eaves. “He’s an ANBU captain. I couldn't beat Hatake in a fight. Sakuya probably couldn't beat him in a fight. Obito never could. Where would he be, are you looking for his formal information?”

“Well,” Niomi dug her hand in a dusty shelf, “ANBU means all his records got confiscated and sensored. If I didn’t occasionally see him on the street I would think he didn’t exist anymore butttt… Ah-ha!” Niomi pulled out a file triumphantly and jumped down into Inabi’s arms.

She waved the file triumphantly in his face, “ANBU forgot to take our copy of Sakomo Hatake’s death case - it has all his information and property details - that his son inherited. Suck it Maruboshi! I am the god of paperwork!”

Inabi dropped Niomi to her feet and grabbed the file. “Thanks, “ he said and turned for the door.

“Wait! Maintain the chain of evidence! Log out the file-oh” Inabi was already gone, papers falling from their places in the wake of his speed.

Niomi bit her lip as she got up off the stone floor. Now that she had time to think her good sense reared up. It might not have been the right thing to do, give Inabi information on the man who had Obito’s eye, without questioning him more closely. He might be up to something.

She sat back down at her work space and debated reporting the incident. Niomi had not risen to her current place in the station by poking her nose into things that did not concern her. Inabi was ambitious but he was a realist. Whatever he was up to couldn’t be too bad for him or Obito.

*

“...and first round Drop Outs should be arriving back today.” Mitoku continued the Tower’s morning meeting. “Remember not to mock them too hard, and push the more pathetic ones into coming to our open day next week. Those who can’t do, can do our paperwork, as the saying goes.”

“Maybe don’t call the Genin who just failed the Chunin exams drop outs to their faces Mitoku.” Abe Maruboshi muttered to himself, shuffling through the paperwork on his lap. It was the same daily meeting of listening to the man drone on and on, as if Genin or Chunin rank meant anything when it came to working in the Tower. Abe had managed to get on gate duty for his afternoon shift, to be a sympathetic face to the poor children who returned home from Suna in disgrace and pain. Let them know there was more to life than idiot trials of strength and endurance, like his father had done for him years before.

Getting afternoon gate duty, which most viewed as an excuse to slack off, meant Abe was told to take one of the less pleasant paperwork tasks for his morning shift, on top of his usual research duties - the temple paperwork.

The religious shut-ins were obligated by law to keep the Hokage informed of their business. And with malicious compliance each and every temple in Konoha submitted pages and pages of information every day, on everything from the routine and mundane to the important. The Tower didn’t care what the holdy mantra of the day was or the state of their roofs, they cared how many of the children in the temple creches were chakra sensitive, what the monks and priestesses were preaching to their believers and which of the great clans were donating large amounts of money.

Abe shuffled through the papers, subtally scanning the various headings while Mitoku repeated his lecture on not wasting scrolls when single pieces of paper would suffice.

He smiled when his eye caught the wedding banner list, made sure the names and details were all correct and shut the file. Abe caught Aio’s eye across the room, where the pensive man stood with the other Genin Tower workers. Abe nodded once and Aio broke into a brilliant smile, just as bright as his Genin teammate’s, despite the more crooked teeth.

Abe would have helped Obito for the simple reason that she was kind and didn’t use her clan name to push others around. But her introducing him to Gai and the rest of his circle of friends had reminded him of a life outside of books and work. He wasn’t the only son of an eternal Genin, struggling in a system that degraded a father that he adored.

Gai Matio was a Jounin that could not use chakra. Those that had mocked and degraded him as a child now looked away when the Green Beast crossed their path. Rumours of changes being made to the Academy requirements had been heard among the Tower departments. Gai Matio was making a difference.

His father Kosuke had told him that Eboshi Hakate was the first adult civilian to graduate from the Academy in less than a year. She was the reason those born outside the village could become shinobi, if they wanted to try. Let her grandson marry his sweetheart if he wanted.

Let Abe Maruboshi try to make a difference, if he could.

*

Takaashigani Tatamaki had his mouth open to yell before his boat had come to a full stop in it’s dock by the main jetty. Everyone in the Uzushio community knew he left before dawn this season, to have his nets ready for the migrating shoals. Yet some idiot had called him off the river for an emergency meeting before noon.

“Which pike-sucking sea slug is responsible for raising the meeting flags?” Takaashigani demanded, jumping off to tie his boat to a mooring.

“I am,” said Hikkakeru, still clad in his fish gutting apron. “Apologies for any loss of catch suffered on my account. I simply thought the esteemed fishmonger Guildhead should know what the latest drama in the village is going to be.”

Takaashigani nodded stiffly and turned to unrig his boat. Officially he was a guildhead and boss of all the Uzushio boats that fished Konoha’s numerous rivers and streams. Unofficially Hikkakeru was leader of what was left of Uzushio’s old sealing masters, now formed into the organization that secretly protected and policed the remrents Uzushio within Konoha and he could get Takaashigani to sink his own boat with a mere nod. 

“What are the civiys up to this time?” Takaashigani asked, when he had a grip on his tongue and temper. “Protesting the rise in travel vouchers costs again?”

Hikakeru came forward to help him with the boat’s sails and ropes. “Do you remember the incident eight months past? The Fuinjutsu apprentice accused of trying to break the wall’s warding?” he asked, his eyes focusing on the ropes and notes in his hands

“The Uchiha girl? I do.” Takaashigani carefully didn’t mention anything else about that incident, their Uzushio youths who had tricked by a fanatic within their own community, who broke out an Ame prisoner and tried to escape with him over Konoha’s Fuinjutsu covered wall. The Uchiha girl had almost been made a scapegoat for stopping them, one most of the Uzushio wished had ended up paying the price for their children’s actions. Because of the interference of another Uchiha, more of their children would be forced to join the Academy in the coming year and become soldiers and pawns of Konoha.

“She’s eloped.”

Gyosan had eloped to Ame. His precious, infuriating daughter. She dragged off that weakling Ebimaru, who could never say no to her and their unborn child. Gyosan didn’t think Takaashigani could protect his own grandson from the legacy of their clan. Didn’t think Takaashigani would never have let Konoha turn him into another Jinchuriki.

“How nice for her.”

“The only Fuinjutsu user the Uchiha clan has ever had, has left the protection of her family to marry. One who has a great deal of sensitive information relevant to us.” Hikakeru stopped his work to look at Takaashigani directly.

“Oh.” Takaashigani looked away from Hikakeru’s piercing blue stare. River Gods knew he had wished ill on Obito Uchiha many times over the last months. She had Kushina Uzumaki’s sealing notebooks,which were his inheritance. She had looked Takaashigani in the face and accused him of abandoning a child of his family, as if Naruto Uzumaki was anything to him.  
Takaashigani hadn’t thought he would have actually had a chance to enact his revenge.

“It would be a lucky break to us, if during all this drama, the girl lost her life.” Hikakeru mused, turning his gaze to the river.

Takaashigani swallowed. Even if Uzushino had not fallen, he would have not followed his family vocation of shinobi. He had no stomach for human death.

“Fortunately for her, we have a life debt to her new husband.”

Takaashigani blinked, and tugged at his bright red beard to make sure he was still coherent. “Which life debt is this?” he asked cautiously. There were very few outside of their community the Uzushio were indebted to.

“The ones owed to Kakashi Hatake, for our Yuugao’s continued survival in the ANBU. He’s gone against usual mission parameters several times to keep his teammates alive several times, even before he became her squad captain.” Hikkakeru sighed ruefully, a wistful smile on his old face. “It would have made everything so simple, if a little mishap ended the girl’s life.”

Takaashigani nodded and waited for the man to continue, to make his wish for Obito Uchiha to be murdered more clear.

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see which way the wind blows for the newly-weds.” Hikkakeru mused, more to himself than to Takaashigani. “The Uchiha were never very good at keeping their emotions under control.” He turned and looked at Takaashigani, face shifting to stern. “Go and warn all your workers, especially the stall sellers; the police are going to be upset and looking for people to take it out on. Don’t give the Red-eyes any excuse to blame us for their failings.”

“Yes Navigator,” Takaashigani stepped off his boat, trying not to make his relief obvious. There would be no incompetent murder attempts from him this day. 

*

“But I don’t understand what we’re doing here Inabi!” Osuma objected as they used chakra to walk across the river. “If this guy is a shinobi, and we have to sneak up on him, then protocol says-”

“Forget protocol!” Inabi hissed, adjusting the arm bracers he had borrowed off another Uchiha. “Forget everything but what I tell you to remember, alright?” He aimed this instruction to all three of his squad, not just the objecting Osuma.

“Alright,” said Kofun, even though it wasn’t. His gut told him things were off, that he should have ignored Inabi and walked on when he encountered him outside the station. Going to a suspect’s house without a clear explanation of what was going on, not even a Sharingan flash to exchange information secretly between them, that was not good.

He glanced behind to meet Kenta’s eyes, but the hawk summoner just frowned back and turned to press his cheek to the bird on his shoulder. Who knew what information Inabi had used to get the hawk summoner to come, when Kenta’s mother was still alive and head of their branch line.

Kofun’s little sister Chiaki was miserable living with their aunt and all she had on her side was Kofun. He needed to get more missions, earn better pay, then find a quieter house share to live in, where his sister could have a room too. That meant shutting up and doing what the higher-ups said. And that included Inabi.

“When we reach the house you and your birds watch every exit, I don’t want so much as a mouse escaping, got it?” Inabi said again.

“Mice won’t be a problem.” Kenta muttered, waving a hand up at his other birds flying overhead. “It’s whatever you’re really concerned with that I worry about.”

“Just do what I tell you without lip!” Inabi snapped, Sharingan flashing on. The hawk on Kenta’s shoulder hissed, raising its wings to cover it’s summoner's eyes from the threat of Genjutsu.

“Okay,” Osuma agreed, stepping between the glaring cousins, “Let’s just go do this completely legal home raid that Inabi will take all responsibility for. Then go our separate ways-”

“No!” Inabi reached over to grab both Osuma and Kenta’s sleeves, throwing a desperate look to Kofun as well. “We need to stick together! We’re all family. We don’t leave each other just because it seems easier!” He said intently, almost pleadingly.

The other three Uchiha shifted uneasily. “Inabi, are you okay?”  
Kenta asked reluctantly. This was not Inabi’s normal behavior.

“I will be.” Inabi licked his lips and turned off his Sharingan, turning back to face the wooden house ahead of them. “Just do what I tell you.”

*

Kyoko glanced up again, catching a blur of movement in the corner of her eye. There was no one else in her little office but herself, nothing moving but the sticky notes on her slightly open window. Calmly she put down her pencil and took out one of the pens stuck through her hairbun. There was something in the air today, a certain kind of wariness that no one had been able to explain, that grew stronger as the morning reached noon.

Koharu and Danzo’s fractions of the Tower were eyeing each other up, but they had been doing that for a week now and nothing much had come from it. Reports from Suna showed an acceptable amount of injuries occurring during the Chuunin exams. The backload of work from the Hyuugas’ long absence had been dealt with and the hospital was working as normal.

Kyoko resisted the urge to turn and count the files in her locked cupboard, as she set herself back back to work on her calculations. Attempts to steal and edit Obito Uchiha’s paperwork had tapered off months ago and that was the only at-risk file she had access to at the moment. 

There was no reason for her to be on the alert.

She skipped her lunch break and stayed in her office, listening for trouble, nonetheless.

*

“Would someone like to explain to me why I have one of my highest ranking officers under arrest?” Fugaku demanded of the deadly quiet police station. Everyone on duty kept their eyes averted, looking at anything other than their fuming Clan head and the disgraced captain seated before him.

Shizune, still locked up in the holding cell at the back of the room, laughed despite the ribs Sakuya knew she had bruised.

“Shut it Senju!” Sakuya hissed around her swollen cheeks, still cradling an ice pack. This was bad, but she could still fix it, she just needed to buy Inabi more time an hope he found them-

“This is the final straw Uchiha!” A gang of civilians stormed into the station, some of them still holding muddy farming implements. Also in their grips were four young men, their identity as Uchiha just visible from the mud covering their uniforms from head to sandal.

“You Red-eyes can’t just storm a man’s house and brutalize his grandson without a damn good reason! I’ll have the Tower and the Guild hall after you this time, I swear on my Ma’s bones!” An older man declared, waving around an impressively sturdy walking stick.

Sakuya hissed, and tried to stand on her injured leg. Inabi was among the captured Uchiha, gagged and bound, even his eyes covered. Fugaku put a hand to her shoulder and pushed her back down into her seat, even as he glared the entire group into silence.

Behind them, Shizune laughed even louder.

“Master Soya.” said Fugaku pleasantly, as if killing intent wasn’t pouring off him. “I’m afraid I don’t know what this is all about. But Sakuya here.” His grip on her shoulder didn’t even tighten with threat. “Is just about to tell me everything.”

*

Niomi would have put Inabi and his suspicious actions out of her head and never spoken of them again, if luck hadn’t been against her.

“Why is this place such a mess?” demanded Ranma, seated in the only chair clear of paper in the evidence room, great-grandson chewing on a kunai handle in her lap.

“You mean: hello Niomi, how are you? Thanks for agreeing to do us a favour when you’re clearly so very busy.” Mai said with forced cheerfulness, waving a safer teething ring at her son.

Kagami ignored the bright green toy and ground his gums harder on the metal finger grip.

Niomi flinced. Her daughter Fuji had done the exact same thing, chewing on anything metal she could fit in her mouth. It was only recently at the age of eight, with her foster mother Izunami keeping Fuji supplied with chewing gum, that she had stopped.

“This is the main records room for the entire police department. It should be kept better.” Ranma insisted, tugging the kunai sideways as the sharp end came near to Kagami’s soft lips. “It’s vital we maintain our paperwork with flawless organisation, to prevent anyone from questioning our record keeping.”

“Then why am I the only one who ever works here”, Niomi muttered, putting another missing child report to the side.

“One officer was alway enough to maintain this room before.” Ranma said sharply.

“Gran- hasn’t the village doubled its population these last couple of years?” Mai pointed out, tidying up a messy pile of case slips. “I know we’ve had to widen our patrol routes twice this year. I bet Niomi is dealing with much more work than her predecessors ever did.”

“You’re right, Mai,” Ranma agreed and Niomi smiled at the obvious pride Mai took in her grandmother's approval. “That’s why you will be working here as well when you return to work.”

“What?” Niomi and Mai demanded in unison. “No!”

“Niomi is clearly not managing to keep up with the work and you need a career that fits around motherhood. This way you two can cover for each other when your children need you at home.”

“Inabi came in and messed up the room looking for Kakashi Hatake’s records,” Niomi blurted out, a vision of Mai - slinky, lazy, messy Mai - sharing her workspace making her panic as much as the idea of motherhood did. Niomi was a disaster as a mother and neither Fuji or any other future children deserved her full time attention.

Mai and Ranma gave her identical looks for confusion, while Kagami drooled unchecked down his chin and onto his great-grandmother’s hand.

“Tell me that boy isn’t going to try bribing his way onto ANBU.”

“Or maybe it’s for Obito? Inabi’s gonna avenge her old friend as a courting gesture?”

“I’m not sure,” Niomi admitted, regretting her words already, “He seemed worried about something.”

“As long as Obito’s not directly involved. I’ve spent too much time on that girl for Hatake to mess her up again.” Ranma sniffed, looking down at her wet hand.

“And we don’t want Inabi murdered by the Hokage’s favorite attack dog?” Mai added, taking her son back to wipe off the drool. 

Ranma didn’t reply, busy wiping off the drool on her hand with a frown. For a woman who encouraged everyone else in the family to breed, she didn’t seem to enjoy children any more than Niomi did.

“But enough about that, what brings you to the station today?” Niomi balently changed the subject.

Mai broke into a wide smile, cuddling her son. “We need Kaoru officially recognised as this little guy’s mother and for both of them to go on our branch line records. Plus copies of all of Shishu’s records before ANBU makes them all disappear-.”

“Niomi!” a muddy Kofun appeared at the door, “You won’t believe what Obito’s done now!”

*

Mariko Hyuuga didn’t react when Inoko Yamanaka delivered her clinic’s supplies, instead of the usual delivery Genin. Branch Hyuuga knew how to see the unsaid and everyone knew Inochi’s older sister was the real leader in the Yamanaka clan.

Neji, who hadn’t been out of his mother’s reach since his return from the Main house, frowned as Inoko held out the small package of various dried plants. “Your eyes are strange.”

“My eyes are made to climb into the minds of little boys who irritate me.” Inoko said seriously, not looking away from Mariko as she passed over the delivery form.

Neji scowled, and ducked behind Mariko’s back. Mariko channeled chakra into the leg he was clinging to and bit back a smile when he poked her chakra-points. Then she read what was on the delivery form, glanced back up at Inoko’s serious face for confirmation and held tight to her neutral expression.

“This all seems to be in order.” Mariko said calmly, tearing off her part of the form and handing back the clipboard. “I’ll distribute the order throughout the family.” She just managed to fight off the urge to nod eagerly to the older woman, as a soldier to a new commander at the start of a skirmish.

Inoko gave her a look of scant approval, snapped her fingers for two of her relatives to start unloading the supplies from their delivery horse and walked away without looking to make sure her orders were followed.

Of course her command was followed, Mariko mused as she signalled, with much more politeness, that her family could unlock the side door and come out to begin to examine the deliveries carefully before allowing them into the compound. Inoko Yamanaka had once spoken with the authority of the Yamanaka heir, before the Nara finally convinced her father to pass the title to his younger son instead. So Inoko had focused on politics instead, becoming Biwaki Sarutobi’s instrument among Konoha’s leaders. In spite of what the Yamanako had planned for Inoko, Inoko had made herself a woman who was obeyed.

Mariko went back into the compound, holding Neji’s hand and casually slipping the delivery slip into her pocket.

No matter what the Uchiha had planned, Obito had made her escape. Mariko was slightly hurt; she hadn’t been asked to help with it. Still, she could damn well make sure to hinder any attempts to get her back.

The Main House Hyuuga planned to keep Mariko and Neji trapped forever. But Obito Hatake would fly free.

*

“What is that?”

“That?” Kakashi rocked his hips slowly again with a teasing smile.

“No, not that,” Obito took her hand from his hair to point up, where her eyes were focused, on the strange patch of the roof above them.

Kakashi sighed and rolled back off her, so they both rested on their sides and he could look up too. “That’s a rotten tile.”

“Tiles can rot?” Obito demanded, shaking sweaty hair out of her face.

“If they’ve been left alone long enough.” Gently Kakashi shifted himself and resettled apart from Obito. “We can stop if you want-”

“No no.” Obito followed him and pressed their bare skin back together. “Let’s keep going. I like married sex, I do. I’m just a bit jumpy - aren’t you?” She mouthed at his neck, looking for the spot she had been nibbling before she had been distracted.

Kakashi put a hand to the scared underside of her right breast, leaning in to her embrace. “Logically, we’re safer now, than we will be from tomorrow.”

“So sex now, panic later?” Obito squirmed, trying to go back to their former position.

“Here,” Kakashi rolled onto his back, hoisting her up over his hips like she weighed nothing. “This way you have less to distract you.”

“Oh yes,” Obito smiled down at his bare form, “My beautiful husband. No view can compare to this,” she ran her hands up defined muscles and with confident movement got them back to business.

Soon after, they were sated and sighing, curled up together on a worn travel pallet. “Maybe they haven’t even noticed I’m gone yet,” Obito said quietly, tracing Fuinjutsu patterns on Kakashi’s arm.

“Maybe,” Kakashi humed agreeably, free hand resting on the sword handle next to their bed.

And the sunset slowly on the first day of their marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Sumiya has the same survival instincts as me: everything will be fine as long as there is tea.
> 
> -Yoshino is one of Hiruzen’s children, a middle daughter that never got much attention. She has at least one dead sister and one sister married to an important family struggling to have a son. Asuma is the youngest and only son. 
> 
> -Inoko was mentioned in the first chapter of Bend, she’s always been around, lurking like the behind the scenes politician she is. Someone whose name rhymes with Fanzo pushed her out of power in the wake of the Kybu attack and she didn’t care enough to fight back. Until now...
> 
> -I tried to put in as many canon characters as I could, because damn this chapter had a lot of original characters. Who would you like to see watching or indeed, taking part in the chaos that is to come?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was half a year that went bye, huh?
> 
> I changed jobs and now work 60+ hours a week. It’s tiring but I am finally getting paid living wages. I actually can save more than I spend. So I don’t have much time for writing or plotting. But I still love this fic, have big plans for it and rejoice over every comment I get.
> 
> Have an unbetaed chapter. Don’t hold back with the constructive criticisms. I aim to put out another one around Christmas time.

“Enough,” Fugaku said firmly.

The various Uchiha crowded into his living room stared at him, ending the hours of blaming, arguing and justifying. 

“We will come back to everyone’s failures and deceits.” Fugaku looked straight at the loudest of the arguers: the elder Ranma, the Prison Captain Sakuya and the slacker Senseo, “But for now we have to find Obito before she ruins her life.”

“She’s already ruined every-,”

“Silence!” Fugaku roared and Ranma raised her eyebrows at his loss of control. He took a breath and continued, “Do you not understand this entire situation could have been avoided if one of you had paid any attention to Obito and her needs, instead of focusing on your own petty plots?”

“Petty?” Demanded Inabi, from somewhere in the back of the room. He had bowed out of the argument early, tending to Izunami, who had had hysterics when the news had been broken that her niece was attempting to marry out of the clan.

“Obito’s run off with a traumatised child-Jounin. He’ll be beating her before the moon is full again.” Fugaku forced his hands to unclench, “We need to rescue her, and take back the eye Hakate is clearly using to manipulate her.”

Almost unseen, standing behind her indigante grandmother, Mai’s stoic face let a flash of emotion cross over it. Fugaku made a note of it. Mai denied knowing anything about Obito’s plans but Obito had to have told someone something. She had always been a friendly chatty person.

She was a friendly person, Fugaku corrected himself. Obito wasn’t dead yet. He could save her from Hakate if he just held course on his plan.

“We should go to the orphanage and get that fox brat,” Yumi mused out aloud. “Obito was obsessed with him for a while, he’d be a good hostage to lure her out-” he shut his mouth abruptly and paled.

Behind him, through the open door to the kitchen, Fugaku knew Mikoto was placidly handing a sleepy Sasuke tomato slices, still holding with the small sharp fruit knife Kushina had given her as a wedding gift. Mikoto had given up her sword, but she was still the most deadly person in the Uchiha compound. And everyone knew no one was allowed to talk about Naruto when she was in earshot.

Fugaku took a deep breath, graining control of his emotions. He needed to, like always, be the calm dependable leader he really wasn’t. “Put a skeleton crew on duty tomorrow,” he ordered his lieutenants. “The rest of the clan will be out in force. Yumi: draw up a search map. Question everyone Obito has ever talked to, anyone Hakate has a history with. Find,” he ran his eyes over the crowd in his living room, trying to remember who had reacted to the news of Obito’s marriage with less than outright horror, “Chiaka, Yoshino and... Hazuki,” Hazuki had used the marriage law to leave them fifteen years before. She might have some insight they could use now. “Bring them to me for questioning, before the night is over. Go! Now, all of you!”

The assembled Uchiha nodded and marched out of the room, even the ones that usually took his commands as gentle suggestions.

“Not you Mai.” Fugaku said as the last few reached the door.

Ranma shot him a warning look, but Fugaku was too focused on his mission to care. In his mind Obito had reverted to the small girl he had met during his first year as clan leader, who had smiled up at him and thanked him for letting her and her granny move in with his family. He had told her it was his duty to look after her, that she was family. When had she stopped believing that?

*

There was a draft in the farm house.

Correction. Obito pulled the bedding closer to her bare skin. The whole building was one big draft. Konoha’s boundary wall being right next to the old building did nothing to shelter it from the morning wind.

Groggily, still huddled in the bedding, she rolled off the sleeping pallant and in the general direction of the fire hearth.

“I was using those!” Kakashi grumbled, left with nothing but the clothing he had insisted on putting back on last night.

“You chose to have a bucket wash with cold water last night, you can handle a little cold while I get the fire going.” Obito told him, considering the prepared irori, and formed the hand signs for a fireball under the bedding. Soon the firepit was lit and the pot hanging over it was steaming with hot water.

Quietly Kakashi settled next to her, putting his chin to her shoulder. “Are you ready for today?”

Obito could feel his sword, already buckled into place and the numerous blades hidden in his uniform. She had not slept well and Kakashi had slept worse.

“Yes,” she said. “Pass me my clothing.”

*

Even the long queue of people waiting to be let in failed to dent Mizuki’s good mood. The sun was shining, his broken arm had stopped hurting and he had a new Chunin jacket waiting for him in the Hokage’s office. Life was finally going his way.

“Out of my way brat!” A hand shoved Mizuki out of the queue and a bunch of traders pushed past him, pulling and pushing a cart of bundled items, most of them already marked with the Wagarashi clan symbol. In the cart between wooden barrels a civilian girl sat. She stuck out her tongue, wrinkling her freckle covered nose, when she noticed Mizuki glaring at her.

Mizuki opened his mouth to curse the civilians, but then shut it again. A broken arm would be a hindrance if it came to a group fight, even for a Chunin. 

He was a Chunin! Mizuki let his smirk break out over his face and simply stepped back into line, in front of a boy coughing into a red bandana, clearly there to seek help at Konoha’s Great Hospital.

Maybe Mizuki could get a position serving in the hospital. He had limited Chakra control and they never bothered much trying to train civilian born shinobi as medics but they did need guards and admin workers. That would be a great job. A bit of power, little danger and a steady paycheck not dependent assigned missions. He’d be able to pay off his debts in no time-

“-not your jurisdiction!” a howl from inside the gates, setting off Mizuki’s reflexes and, by the look of the way the queue quietened and tensed, every other shinobi’s too.

The bandana boy behind Mizuki edged closer to Mizuki’s back. Mizuki glanced at him, but the boy was cowering, not trying to steal his spot. His black eyes were wide with worry, bandana clutched to his mouth tightly.

Mizuki rolled his eyes at the civilian and went back to concentrating on the drama just within Konoha’s gates. As the silence of the crowd spread out, the arguing became more clear.

“You can’t demand to see such records! That’s against Tower policy!”

“FUCK TOWER POLICY!” Mizuki restrained his nod of agreement at the unknown yeller. “We’re following a far older and important Konoha Law! Give me the damn exit list!”

“No! I don’t care what your clan thinks it can do-”

There was a scream. A sound of a scuffle. Mizuki reached with his good hand for a weapon in his back pouch but the civilian boy grabbed his reaching hand and clung to it. “Is it always like this?” he whispered into Mizuki’s back.

“Let go.” Mizuki couldn’t shake him off without jostling his broken arm. And he didn’t want to draw attention to himself with the commotion up ahead.

The crowd started moving again, at a faster clip. A different voice was calling out for documents and passes. The civilian boy remained glued to Mizuki’s back, despite Mizuki’s whispered threats, as they finally reached the great double gates and the processing desks hidden within the thick columns.

Instead of the usual two Chunin manning the desk, there were three and another three on the other side of the entrance, dealing with people leaving the village. The three on that side were all Uchiha police, and they were questioning and searching each person thoroughly before allowing them to leave the village.

“Next!” Yelled a voice and Mizuki hurried to the free gate guard, the civilian boy still clinging to his back.

He handed his documents over the desk before he registered it was another Uchiha police-nin before him at the desk, her brown eyes scrutinising his paperwork “You two together? We’ll need paperwork for both of you regardless-”

Mizuki finally managed to elbow the boy off his back. “No we’re not. I’ve never seen-”

“I need the Great Hospital! The boy stuttered out, bandana still over his face as he held out his own documents. “Please! They said it was my only hope.”

“Sure kid,” the Uchiha didn’t even look at the boy while she went through his papers, “I just need to make sure you’ve got everything- who designed these forms,” she demanded of the Chunin sitting next to her, “They’re the most incoherent set of details I’ve ever read, and I have to read the station’s anonymous complaints box.”

“Welcome to Tower bureaucracy Uchiha,” The older grizzly looking chunin told her, not looking away from a family's stack of birth documents. 

“I swear... Okay,” she smiled and finally looked up at Mizuki and his tagalong, her face turning serious and pale. “Kofun! White hair! Scan them!” she jumped up grabbing the terrified boy (who did indeed have the same shade of white hair as Mizuki) while an Uchiha across the gate turned on his sharingan and stared at them both.

Mizuki froze. He didn’t believe half of what they said Uchiha could do with their weird eyes, but it was hard to remember that when the blood red eyes were focused on him and the black markings within them were spinning so fast they seemed to be forming a single shape.

“Clear!” The Uchiha finally barked, turning back to scan the harassed queue of people trying to leave the village.

The two sets of documents were handed to Mizuki briskly. “Beat it brats,” the seated Uchiha ordered, “Stay off the streets if you can help it, it’s not a good time to have white hair. Next!”

Mizuki abandoned any attempt to act cool and walked as fast as he could out from the gate vestibule and away from the tense atmosphere. The civilian grabbed the back of his arm sling and Mizuki didn’t acknowledge the pain until they were out of sight of the gate.

Then he twisted around angrily. “I don’t know who you are but you need to get your hands off-”

“Your arm is bleeding.” The civilian boy said softly, pointing at the wet spot of Mitzuki’s sling. “We should go to the hospital together. You can show me where it is.”

Mizuki snapped his jaw shut angrily. “Fine. But if you touch me again-” he let the threat hang in the air.

“I won’t!” The boy coughed into his bandana and took a step back, out of Mizuki’s space.

Mizuki gave him one more threatening look then turned and started moving towards the Hospital. The Tower was next to it and he could collect his Chunin jacket and find out what on earth was going on with the Uchiha.

*

Yashino was too old to tree jump. He had to make do with moving as fast as he could with two walking sticks. When he finally came into view of the beehives, he allowed himself to slow and catch his breath, gathering himself for the conversation to come.

Anko was holding a glass jar out for Mitsubachi to drop a honeycomb into, grinning up at the tall Aburame as they smiled back at her. Anko looked happier and healthier than when Yashino had first met her a year ago and he had been so proud of how much she had changed.

He was so angry with her now.

“Where is she?” Yashino demanded as he came up to them, still harshly breathing. 

Anko frowned, “Song? I told you. She wanted to explore the forest of death. I don’t think anything in there could hurt a giant millipede…”

“Anko!” Yashino’s hands were on her shoulders, when had he put them there? “Where is Obito?” He could see his fingers leaving white pressure marks on her skin but he couldn’t feel them.

Anko blinked and she started to lean away. Yashino’s vision went red. “WHERE IS SHE?” he shouted, pulling her back.

“I- I don’t- Sensei you’re hurting me!”

Yashino loosened his grip, before the swarm of bugs could force their way between his hands and Anko’s tense shoulders. He let go and stepped away from his terrified student, letting Matsubish come forward to softly talk to her shaking form. There was shattered glass, covered with honey on the grass between them.

He looked down at his wrinkled, shaking hands. Yashino needed to get a hold of himself. He needed to find Obito. He needed to apologise to his scared, traumatised student.

Instead he said, “She was living in my house. I will be blamed if she’s not found. My children will suffer for her actions-”

“She’s gotten married, not turned missing-nin.” Mitsubachi snapped, from where they were kneeling to look up at Anko’s blank face. “Your clan will have to make their peace with it.”

It didn’t occur to Yashino to be surprised Mitsubachi knew what was going on. His love had always been the one who knew what was going on in the village. “But- Kakashi Hakate is a brute. He kills his teammates, always puts his duty above everything else. He’ll be hurting Obito the moment she upsets him-”

“Please.” Anko spoke up, even though her eyes remained trained on a point over Mitsubachi’s shoulder. “Kakashi couldn’t raise a hand against Obito outside of a friendly spar if his life depended on it. Even I couldn’t see him hurting her.”

“But he can’t protect her! There’s no Hakate clan to keep her safe and help them. They can’t survive-”

“Civilian orphans survive on their own all the time.” Matsubishi said stiffly. “And those are children. Obito is a grown woman and has made her decision. You just have to decide if you will accept her decision or continue treating her like a simpleton.”

“But-”

“Yashino.” Matsubishi interrupted him, “I’m tired of hearing your mother speak from your mouth. And seeing you mistreat a child I care about. Since family and clans suddenly mean so much to you, you can get off my family's land.” They put a hand to Anko’s shoulder, gently guiding her back towards the hives.

“But my clan-” Yashino didn’t actually know what he was going to say, when the bees started to buzz angrily. He could have set them all on fire, he could have poisoned them. He could have yelled at Matsubishi, telling him this was more important than their personal feelings, that Obito absolutely could not be allowed to leave the clan.

What if something happened to her?

What if nothing happened to her?

What if she went on to have a full happy life with someone she loved, like Yashino never did. Because he had been too scared to leave his family for Matsubishi.

What would he do then?

*

Kyoko had felt the uneasiness in the air when she came into work. Something was brewing but she didn't know which fractions of the village were involved. Utatane’s people had been simmering for a while about something and Danzo was supposed to be busy with the Kumo/Suna situation... maybe the academy staff were pushing for power again?

Kyoko didn't connect the dots until she finally had time to sit in her office and check her own records. Obito's file was gone.

Not changed or edited or replaced with a fake. Just flat out gone.

Kyoko took a deep breath. Obito Uchih's file was one of great contention in the tower. The was-a-Chunin then honorably-dead then surprise!-alive-POW, now escaped-retiree clan brat was hard enough to classify, without the gender changes, disability ranking and apprenticeship as a Fuinjutsu user making it even harder to work out which forms and documents needed to go in her file.

Add to that, important people, above Kyoko's rank and pay grade, wanted to change Obito's history to suit themselves, make her fit in the boxes they deemed appropriate to her and it was no really no surprise that finally someone had simply taken the whole damn file and destroyed it.

Kyoko got out her tea set and brewed her strongest blend. She was unsettled but not surprised. There was a reason she had copies of everything hidden in the office blinds. The question was what she should do next. Make a new file and pretend nothing had happened maybe. Cause a huge fuss and see who told her to keep her mouth shut. It wasn’t like Kyoko had much protection if a major player in Konoha politics was stretching their hands into Obito’s life. She didn’t have contact with anyone who could or would feel inclined to help-

Except Kyoko did.

Well. She drained her cup in one long sip. She’d need the memory of the taste to get her through where she was about to go.

Kyoko knew someone who would object to Obito being messed around with. Someone who had a legal right to object and more than enough status to keep even the Hokage’s teammates at bay.

Kyoko stuck extra pens in her bun the way other women would have holstered blades. She had a Sannin to find.

*

“I found him!”

“Shut up, shut up,” hissed Osuma, dragging Tekka behind a tree as Gai continued doing his warm up stretches. “He’s not hiding. He wants us to find him.”

“Well everyone knows the Matio’s are as stupid as they come.”

“Stupid strong Tekka, stupid strong.” Osuma smacked Tekka on the cheeks then smacked himself, trying to sum up the energy he’d need to deal with Konoha’s rising star Jounin. He’d never liked Gai much himself, but Osuma, unlike most of his family, could see reality when it was right in his face. 

Gai Matio was twenty years old, without chakra attacks or clan backing. His allies were few and his restraint was lacking. And the last time Osuma had done a mission with him, enemies had fled at the sight of him. An entire of sect of missing-nin had turned and run, panicked at the fact that Gai Matio was after them. Osuma, in his very visible Uchiha colours was ignored.

The Green Beast of Konoha was nothing like what traditional Konoha thought a ninja should be. Too loud, too emotional, too honest.

And too strong now for Konoha to do anything about it, but pretend they hadn’t mocked his father into his grave and hope very hard he didn’t hold a grudge about it.

“Hey there Gai!” Osuma smiled slightly, raising his hand in greeting. “Is that Crane style from River country? I like the kicks, you’ve got some range with them- this is Tekka. You know Tekka right? He’s Obito’s cousin, the lame middle one.”

“Actually Obito’s the lame one,” Laughed Tekka, putting a hand behind his head. “Because of her leg, you know?”

Gai stopped his movements, going into a stillness that was unnatural for him.  
Osuma elbowed Tekka so hard he almost fell over. “See what I mean? No sense of respect to family who served during the war. We’re actually looking for Kakashi, we need his signature on some stuff for her pension. It’s coming up to five years since her discharge from service.”

Slowly, Gai lowered his leg from his frozen kick and turned to face Osuma fully. Osuma tried not to count the various weights around his ankles and wrists.

“My rival is on a very important mission...”

“No he’s not, we checked the mission log-” Osuma punched Tekka in his well covered stomach.

“Please continue Gai,” Osuma smiled, as if Tekka wasn’t wheezing into his knees.

“A very important mission of a personal nature.” Gai finished. He eyed the two Uchiha consideringly, no smile on his face.

“Well, it’s really important that I talk to him. There’s about to be a lot of trouble and I need to know what he thinks is going to happen.” 

“What’s going to happen is we finally get our Sharingan back.” hissed Tekka, still holding his middle. “And Obito,” he added belatedly.

Gai’s eyes narrowed. He started taking off the weights on his wrists.

Osuma swallowed, and took a defensive stance in front of Tekka. “He’s just a civilian. You can’t hit him. He’s already in trouble because of Obito. I just want to fix things Gai, honest.”

“Things are already being fixed.” Gai said, putting the weights in his flak jacket. “You just want to break them again.”

“What could an outsider possibly know of how the great Uchiha clan works.” Demanded Tekka.

Osuma wished, for the hundredth time he could use the Sharingan on his family. Or that he was brave enough to step aside and let Tekka face Gai alone. Instead he braced himself, ready for the fury in Gai’s eyes to be let loose.

“My sensei was Takao Uchiha, of the Line of Baru and Rai! He taught me my nindo, comforted me after my first kill. He died defending innocences during the Kyuubi attack!” Gai gestured around to the empty field in the heart of the village. “I have defended your clan to anyone who would listen. And now you threaten my rival? When Takao-sensei was the one to teach me of sharpening yourself against another like two knives sharpen each other? You question me? You judge me?”

Osuma opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted. If it was any other day, if he had a single itona less panic he would have apologized, dragged Tekka away and gone home to reexamine his life and choices.

Instead he tried to get Gai to back off by kicking his leg and had his second humiliating fight in two days. Tekka got off more lightly, just tied and gagged to a tree.

*

“I can’t help you. I have a headache.”

“Then maybe your brother?”

“He’s got a headache too.”

“And your brother’s children, your mother, your half-sister?”

“Headaches.” Himari Hyuuga explained calmly, continuing to cut off the dead heads of her plants. Her quiet daughter carefully caught each snipped flower and put them in the basket at her feet.

“Your entire clan is suffering headaches and unable to use their Byukugan just when I’m finally calling in the favour you owe me?” Izunami Uchiha demanded in exasperation.

Himari serenely continued tending her raised flower bed. “Maybe after I brewed enough tonic for everyone to recover…”

“And how long will that take?”

“About two days-”

“We only have a day and a half left to find her!” Izunami hissed, losing her grip on her nerves. Her youngest son Iroaka, glanced up from his drawing pad to check on his mother, then went back to trying to sketch one of Himari’s many hanging plants.

“Please Himari, you owe me.” Izunami half-begged.

A flash of irritation crossed over Himari’s face, before she smoothed it back to her usual plactness. “Izunami, I’m not Mikoto Uchiha.” she said in a soft but steady voice, still carefully snipping off dead flowers.

“Yes? Why do you say something like tha-”

“I am the wife of my clan’s head, but that doesn’t mean anything in the Hyuuga clan. I am telling you that I can not help you find your missing Obiko.”

“Obito.” Iroaka corrected softly.

A wrinkle under Himari’s bandaged forehead appeared, “I thought it was a girl who ran off?”

“Obito is a girl, she just kept her war name.” Izunami explained impatiently.

“Well. Whatever she is called, no Byukugan will be used to help find her. You’ll have to find her on your own.”

“We were on your side when-” Izunami glanced at Himari’s quiet daughter, so focused on her task of carefully collecting dead flowers and gathering them to dry in her little basket. “-when the incident happened. We offered you support via Obito when you were all housebound. The Uchiha supported the Hyuuga to the rest of Konoha!”

“Yes. And I don’t think you understand how that looked to the rest of Konoha. Or how it will look to them now if the Uchiha clan cause a fuss over so little now.”

“A young woman has been tricked into going with Sakumo’s bastard son! No clan, no family would allow that to happen to a daughter of their own!”

“An unimportant girl of unremarkable parents. One unlikely to give her husband children-”

“That- that doesn’t matter! That’s not why we’re concerned!”

“Really?” Himari blinked her white eyes in surprise. “How strange.”

*

“Is it just me or are things very tense this morning?” Inochi asked as he stumbled into Chouza, narrowly avoiding a teenager sprinting down the pathway. “Did one of us forget to pay the tithes this month?”

The three of them had been involved for almost two days, organising security for a trading group to Water Country. They had debated and strategized for hours, trying to decide how many spies they could safely slip into the mission to get fresh reports on the unrest in Mist. 

“What is going on?” Shikaku asked the next person to pass them, a scowling Akimichi girl clutching a hefty abacus.

“Lady Inoko and Dowager-Lord Torifu are arguing” she huffed, shifting the counting machine under one shoulder.

“Inoko and Torifu? Arguing? With each other?” asked Chouza in surprise. Usually the two got on well, controlling most of the domestic aspects of the three clans between them

“Well,” The girl resumed her walk, “Torifu isn’t smiling and Inoko won’t pour the tea. It’s gotten cold.”

“Where’s my mother?” Shikaku demanded, naming the Nara who was Inoko and Torifu’s equal.

“She was last seen heading to the outer fields with her sleeping pack and enough tobacco to last her a week.” The girl turned a corner and disappeared towards the kitchens.

“Smart woman,” Chouza understated. “Maybe we should go join her.”

As one the trio started to edge towards the nearest open window of the hallway.

“You three slackers get in here!” Inoko’s voice echoed over the walls. “Before your children forget what you look like entirely!”

“She has our children.”Shikaku muttered, stopping his backwards shuffle.

“We can have more-” Chouza and Shikaku both hit Inochi. “I’m kidding, Inoko loves Ino. She’s never hurt a child before.”

“That's because no one ever left one in her company before,” Shikaku muttered as they reluctantly walked down the garden path towards the sound of Inoko’s voice.

*

“Alright, where are they?”

Raidou kept drinking. Iwashi kept counting his coins. Genma kept chewing. None of them showed a hint of fear at the demand being thrown at them by the old woman with a cane. They were Konoha’s elite.

Ranma Uchiha waited.

Raidou’s cup ran empty and he had to put the cup down on the table. Iwashi stacked his coins neatly. Genma swallowed and the noise echoed at the quiet spot under a tree.

“Where’s who?” asked Raidou, and as he said it he knew it was the wrong thing to do. He had waited too long, put Ramna in charge of the conversation, he needed to de-escalate-

“Don’t play stupid with me, Minato wore out all of my patience for that tactic.”

“We really don’t-”

“Guards on Naruto have doubled and they doubled two days ago- I didn’t know why until I realised Obito was gone.”

Raidou shot Genma a glare. That hadn’t been part of the plan. Now there were signs Obito and Kakashi had told other people of their plans. Genma ignored him, reaching for the senbon in his mouth.

Ranma snapped her bony fingers. Genma gasped, dropping the worm that replaced his senbon. It turned back into a senbon as it hit the dirt floor.

“Spare me your posturing.” Ranma said, putting her hand over the other on her cane handle. “I don’t have the time to play with you youngsters today. My clan have no interest in your charge. It’s Minato’s other children I need to beat some sense into.”

“It’s a good match,” Iwashi said reasonably. “You can use this to your advantage-”

“Sakumo killed himself out of depression. Kakashi has been depressed for years and you three have just been covering it for him. Do you honestly think marriage to the teammate he left for dead during a mission, a teammate with her own depression to work through, is going to help?”

Iwashi and Raidou looked at each other. That was a point they had considered.

“Yes,” Said Iwashi simply. “I think Obito and Kakashi can fight anything - even their own demons - better if they're together.”

Ranma’s hands tightened on her cane and her shoulders slumped. “You are so young child. All of you are so young and so foolish. Love is a Genjutsu we cast over ourselves. It hides all dangers until it kills you from the inside out. If you truly want to help them-”

“Sakumo died because no one helped him.” Genma snapped. “He was alone and depressed, with just a young son to support him. That’s why he died. Not because of love.”

“He was allyless.” Iwashi agreed, more calm. “He made a mistake and no one wanted to be seen helping him. So they all stood back and waited for him to fix himself. We’re not doing that. Helping Kakashi isn’t ignoring the problem. Helping Obito leave the people who ignore her suffering isn’t wrong. It’s what Minato would have wanted.”

Ranma raised her eyes to the sky. “Minato died because of his faith in love. This village suffered because of he and his wife’s thought love would be enough. They damn near ruined everything my generation worked for years to build-”

“Well,” Raidou interrupted. “It seems your generation built everything on hate. And it doesn’t seem like it’s done any of you much good. It’s stagnated you all, locked you in cages on your own making.”

“It’s probably terribly naive and young of us,” Iwashi agreed, “But we’re going to try putting our faith in community and support and yes, love. It can’t make life any worse, can it?”

“We’re also going to try therapy, antidepressants and intervention, if depression does get the best of any of us.” Genma added. “We’re optimistic, not stupid.”

Ranma looked at them, distaste on her lips and hate in her eyes. “I saw with my own eyes what happens to shinobi who favour optimism over reality.” She turned to walk away. “But I suppose you three are the students of Minato too in a way. You’re all under the curse of Hashirama’s sanguine ignorance.”

*

It was quiet, this high up. Obito hadn’t expected to be back on the walls of Konoha so soon after her last adventure. But she was glad to enjoy the view again without the pressure to try stopping traitors and prisoners from escaping.

It would be another half hour before the next patrol came along the top again. That was more than enough time to get to her next hiding spot. She cautiously lifted her head over the ledge and admired the sight of Konoha in the afternoon light. The Hokage Monument was unmarred by shadows or marks.

Well except for the orange blob on top of the Fourth Hokage’s stone head.

Obito stared at the orange blob, willing it to disappear. It was just an abandoned blanket or strange bird. Nothing she needed to worry about.

With great reluctance, she called a tiny amount of chakra to flow to her eyes, just enough to activate her sharingan for a single revolution of her tomoe.

The orange dot was real, not a Genjutsu.

It was the size and shape of a small child, sitting on the stone head with a neck breaking drop four steps away.

“Fuck,” Obito whispered to herself, and started to work out a way to get to the Hokage Monument without being seen. So much for her plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are less OC character's introduced in this chapter than you might think... Let's just say my fav trash son AKA only decent spy in the canon turns up. And also a filler character I've mentioned before is heading to rescue her brother. Because the Senju deserve their amount of drama too.
> 
> I tried to give Kakashi his allies too in this chapter. People pointed out he needs his support structure too.


End file.
